Re: What SINGLE factor MOST contributed to the demise of Packard?
Posted by Mahoning63 On 2013/10/19 17:22:50
Who said Christopher didn't want to sell more Customs? That's a bunch of bunk, keeps getting regurgitated, originally came from some of the Christopher-hating historians. Of course he wanted to sell more. The fact is that he couldn't, the supply met the demand. The cars weren't good enough to compete with Cadillac. The Seniors hadn't been good enough since 1937 or earlier and never did reach Cadillac, not even in '55 and '56. There's a lot more to a top tier car than torsion level and a V8.
Packard made a measly $3M on over 100,000 sales in 1937. Yes, money was spent on the tooling for the '38s and new UAW costs but the fact is, the 110 cannibalized the 120. The only unknown was the extent to which it did but for sure it wasn't a minor amount. The 110 lived on in the '42 Clipper six and eight base models and all Packard base models into the mid-50s. The early 50s 200 base car didn't even have full carpet. Macaulley thinking ran amok for two decades.
Profit for the Bimmer 7 negative? Hey, the sales stink. M-B always outsells it. I remember hearing from an old auto guy that if an OEM only has 25% unprofitable product in any given year they are doing pretty good. These days every showroom has its share of dogs.
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