The Decline of Detroit: How the Three Major Automakers Lost the Domestic Market in the United States

Author: (USA) Maynard
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The author, Michelle Maynard, is a senior reporter for The New York Times based in Detroit. Through interviews with managers and employees from numerous domestic and international automotive companies, she vividly and incisively argues that in the face of fierce competition from foreign automakers like Japan in recent years, the three major American automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—have been losing their domestic market share due to arrogance, lack of foresight, judgment errors, and mismanagement. The book also reveals that Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Honda have dominated the U.S. automotive market and captured significant market 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 into the era of automotive manufacturing, especially for managers in the domestic automotive and other industries. Through interviews with managers and employees from numerous domestic and international automotive companies, the author vividly and incisively argues that in the face of fierce competition from foreign automakers like Japan in recent years, the three major American automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—have been losing their domestic market share due to arrogance, lack of foresight, judgment errors, and mismanagement.