Re: What SINGLE factor MOST contributed to the demise of Packard?

Posted by Tim Cole On 2013/10/26 13:37:49

Those price numbers are very instructive.

You have the Clipper competing against the Oldsmobile V-8, and the Patrician competing against the entry level Cadillac.

If you drive either the Oldsmobile or the Cadillac,the combination of Hydramatic and the V-8 makes for no comparison. The Packard is going to appeal only to buyers who don't care about performance or gas mileage. Probably the Packards were selling to customers who wanted good dealer service the same way as Studebaker customers. Certainly nobody was switching to Packard. As well, the Chrysler Imperial had a fully automatic transmission in 1954.

Had the 1955's been bullet proof Packard would have held on longer, but the recession of 1958 probably would have killed them off. Their best hope would have been to become a supplier the same way as Borg-Warner and Packard Electric.

The motor plant was a step in the right direction, but industrial overcapacity was not in their favor and they did not have the engineering staff to be a serious threat to anybody.