QOTD: Who's Managing Their Heritage Brand Best?
There’s your manifesto! This year’s Jeep Super Bowl ad was more than a breath of fresh air in the middle of turgid political pronouncements and vapid virtue signaling. It was a reminder that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has a rock-solid grip on what its core product is and how to develop said product. In fact, other than the temporary aesthetic disaster of the square-headlight YJ, it’s fair to say that the descendants of the CJ-7 have been on a pretty solid path for the past 30 years.
Has anybody else managed their heritage brand this well for this long? The short answer is “maybe.”
Chevrolet put the Vette on the right track in 1984 and it’s been there ever since, making the jump to no-excuses world-class performance with the C5 in 1997 and now taking on the world with the terrifying new ZR1. Not all of the product has been completely compelling, particularly when you’re talking about the automatic-transmission convertibles that make up the bulk of sales. But the underlying technology has been pretty freaking neat for a long time and the car has never fallen behind the competition in terms of raw pace, particularly around a racetrack.
All things considered, however, I think Jeep has done the best job, particularly since the Wrangler is the only one of these vehicles that does genuine volume any more. Feel free to disagree. Or maybe you think some other company is doing better… the BMW M3? The Mitsubishi Eclipse? The… Toyota Camry?
[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
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- El scotto Under NAFTA II or the USMCA basically the US and Canada do all the designing, planning, and high tech work and high skilled work. Mexico does all the medium-skilled work.Your favorite vehicle that has an Assembled in Mexico label may actually cross the border several times. High tech stuff is installed in the US, medium tech stuff gets done in Mexico, then the vehicle goes back across the border for more high tech stuff the back to Mexico for some nuts n bolts stuff.All of the vehicle manufacturers pass parts and vehicles between factories and countries. It's thought out, it's planned, it's coordinated and they all do it.Northern Mexico consists of a few big towns controlled by a few families. Those families already have deals with Texan and American companies that can truck their products back and forth over the border. The Chinese are the last to show up at the party. They're getting the worst land, the worst factories, and the worst employees. All the good stuff and people have been taken care of in the above paragraph.Lastly, the Chinese will have to make their parts in Mexico or the US or Canada. If not, they have to pay tariffs. High tariffs. It's all for one and one for all under the USMCA.Now evil El Scotto is thinking of the fusion of Chinese and Mexican cuisine and some darn good beer.
- FreedMike I care SO deeply!
- ClayT Listing is still up.Price has been updated too.1983 VW Rabbit pickup for sale Updated ad For Sale Message Seller [url=https://www.vwvortex.com/members/633147/] [/url] jellowsubmarine 0.00 star(s) (0.0) 0 reviews [h2]$19,000 USD Check price[/h2][list][*] [url=https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=1983 VW Rabbit pickup for sale Updated ad] eBay [/url][/*][/list] Ceres, California Apr 4, 2024 (Edited Apr 7, 2024)
- KOKing Unless you're an employee (or even if you are) does anyone care where physically any company is headquartered? Until I saw this story pop up, I'd forgotten that GM used to be in the 'Cadillac Building' until whenever it was they moved into RenCen (and that RenCen wasn't even built for GM). It's not like GM moved to Bermuda or something for a tax shelter (and I dunno maybe they ARE incorporated there legally?)
- Fred It just makes me question GM's management. Do they save rent money? What about the cost of the move? Don't forget they have to change addresses on their forms. New phone numbers? Lost hours?
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Gee, no one has said Cadillac, I wonder why?
"It was a reminder that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has a rock-solid grip on what its core product is and how to develop said product" I don't know, it sounds like the depiction of the fancy new Jeep driving right through a stream (even if a tiny disclaimer said it was an artificial stream on private property) angered some fishers, some of whom own Jeeps.