The decline of Detroit

Author: (American) Maynard, translated by Zhu Min, Yang Lifeng, et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The author, Michelle Maynard, is a senior journalist for The New York Times in Detroit. Through interviews with managers and employees of numerous domestic and international automotive companies, she vividly and incisively discusses how General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, the three major American automakers, have faced the continuous loss of their domestic market share due to arrogance, lack of foresight, judgment errors, and operational mismanagement in the face of the fierce competition from foreign automakers like Japanese companies in recent years. The book also reveals why Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Honda have dominated the U.S. automotive market, capturing a significant share by producing cars that meet consumer demands and align with their expectations—thanks to reliable quality, new technology, excellent design, and reasonable pricing. The undeniable advantages once held by Detroit have now fallen into the hands of others, becoming a contributing factor to Detroit's decline—a true irony! The analysis of the reasons behind the decline of the three major American automakers in this book is thorough and thought-provoking, offering valuable lessons for China, which is moving toward the era of automotive manufacturing, especially for managers in the domestic automotive and other industries.