Re: 6 cyl in a 55...another wacky idea?

Posted by Mahoning63 On 2010/12/29 9:08:44

Quote:

Nice analysis Rusty. This is the kind of big picture thinking that was needed for the Independent's survival. It is amazing how myopic (not to mention bumbling) the would-be Big 4th participants were in those years. I have to throw Mason in there too. It's one thing to want to merge, quite another to have a plan of attack. A detailed plan, not some amorphous "Packard will go on top, then Hudson, then Nash, etc..." They needed a product development plan that leveraged the best practices of each player. They needed an engine, body, platform, manufacturing and sales/marketing plan that brought it all together and they needed to do it up front, fast and lay it out for the investors in a simple and clear way. And they needed a design team that knew their ... from a ..., no more weirdness like enclosed front fenders, brake cooling scoops over headlights and the dozens of other aesthetic atrocities committed by all of them in those years.

Agree on the comments about the poor quality. For Packard it was, I think, a symptom of a larger issue. Nance, by all accounts, caused chaos. Chaos causes delayed decisions and/or quick or ill-considered decisions and a breakdown in tried and true development and production processes. He was not a car person and should have never been hired for the top job right out of the gate. He should have at the very least been put on a systematic training track. But then again, who would have led in the interim? Packard had a leadership crisis dating back many years. There was only one Sloan in town and Packard unfortunately didn't employ him.

Mercedes taxis are comparatively expensive but long-lasting. Am not sure what the exact calculus has long been with German taxi owners but it seems to have worked for them. What taxi riders in Germany get exposed to is a pretty darn good car. Maybe it encourages them to take a closer look come purchase time. I heard in the halls of Detroit that the first and second generation 190 lost money and that M-B hoped to make money on the third generation. I drove a first gen 190 back in 1989. It was a small version of the more expensive M-Bs and one of the most impressive cars I have ever driven (which is probably one reason why it lost money). I drove a second gen 190 in Germany (and rode in those E-class taxis) in 1994; the car was not as good as the first gen and had clearly been cost-reduced, and did nothing but tarnish my reverence for that brand. I agree with the others in the argument against the 110. It stole sales from the 120 and eroded profits. Regarding the Packard taxis, I suppose they could have worked as a premium car not often seen in taxi fleets, the kind of taxi you got picked up from if you were staying at a nice hotel on 5th Avenue. Not as a Chevy/Ford/Plymouth caliber taxi. M-B taxis aren't used as VW alternatives either, they are a more premium ride.