The History of the American car manufractors

[Wieger]

Hello
For school I'll have to write a piece about American Cars, so does anybody got some good information about or does someone knows a link to a good site

I'm specially interested in information about
*why Detroit became the car capitol of the world
*what was the reason for only three American manufractors to survive

[mbertaut1]

Weiger,

I can tell you a few things you might find interesting about the history of the auto biz. First, Ford became one of the big three because they were the WalMart of the 1920's & 30's. They focused on making one or two cars, in only one color, in a manufactured environment that drastically lowered costs, and resulted in the $500 car at a time when the average price was more like $3,000. You see, Henry Ford didn't believe in debt, or borrowing for purchases, he saw it as an evil, and so he was determined to make a car that the average joe could afford without borrowing. The cars were plain, only available in black, and made exactly the same for seven or eight years in a row, some for as long as twenty years.

General Motors, still acquiring manufacturers in the 20's and 30's took a different approach. They made more models of nicer cars available in several colors and made financing available to make sure their customer base could afford them.

Hope this helps, the 20's and 30's were really formative years for the auto industry.

[Prime First]

and black was used cause black paint dries quicker.

[stexch]

I believe that Detroit became the automotive capital because of its location on Lake Michigan, so that raw materials like iron ore could be brought in over water. Likewise completed cars could be exported through the St Lawrence Seaway.

[Jaguar D-Type]

Production of Duesenbergs ceased in 1937 because of the depression and for a number of specific reasons. The Model J's development grounded to a halt in 1932, when Fred Duesenberg died from the results of a car crash. By 1937 the chassis and gearbox were ancient compared to the competition and a thorough redesign was needed to bring Duesenberg back on top once more. The Cord company had lost interest in Duesenberg, which from a business perspective never lived up to the expectations. E.L. Cord had left the company and with him went the enthusiasm required to keep a brand like Duesenberg alive.

Duesenberg

Panoz is an American car maker.

Panoz Esperante

Saleen is an American car maker which builds the S7.

Saleen S7

[MarkHutch]

I remember hearing a saying about Ford cars from the past. It went something like this; You can have this car in any color you like, as long as it's black!

[Jaguar D-Type]

that would be the model t