3 ms·

This is such a dumb point. When Ford started, horses were the main means of transportation. Comparing that to Tesla’s beginning, which was at the peak of car ma

This is such a dumb point. When Ford started, horses were the main means of transportation. Comparing that to Tesla’s beginning, which was at the peak of car manufacturing, is stupid.

jnwatson 6y ago
No, but it fair to start, say in 1980. It took Ford a solid quarter century to catch up to the quality innovations present in Japanese manufacturers.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  I think nostalgia is clouding your judgement. By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. They just didn't apply the techniques and processes to the product lines they didn't care about (i.e. economy cars, they were selling SUVs hand over fist after all). And if you look at MRSPs for foreign and domestic economy cars throughout the 90s the prices more or less reflect the respective OEM's level of investment in those product lines. If you wanted an economy car you bought a Civic. If you wanted a shitbox you bought an Escort for less money.
  - anthony_d 6y ago
    > By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. I completely disagree with that. I bought a Cadillac in 2012. Its build quality was lower than anything I've seen from BMW, Audi or Volvo. I'm talking about really inconsistent panel (internal and exterior) gaps and misc vehicle rattles. It's also worth mentioning the Cadillac was the most expensive vehicle of the group and very much a line that GM cared about. I have no idea how Ford is doing, but GM is still not comparable to German/Swedish/Korean manufacturers.
kazen44 6y ago
Also, manufacturing engineering and mass production was just getting started. hell, Ford was famous for adopting scientific management and the assembly line to cranck out a massive amount of cars at that time. I would even argue ford's model of manufacturing turned the last remnats of workshop based work into the mass producing factory.

This is such a dumb point. When Ford started, horses were the main means of transportation. Comparing that to Tesla’s beginning, which was at the peak of car manufacturing, is stupid.

jnwatson 6y ago

No, but it fair to start, say in 1980. It took Ford a solid quarter century to catch up to the quality innovations present in Japanese manufacturers.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
I think nostalgia is clouding your judgement. By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. They just didn't apply the techniques and processes to the product lines they didn't care about (i.e. economy cars, they were selling SUVs hand over fist after all). And if you look at MRSPs for foreign and domestic economy cars throughout the 90s the prices more or less reflect the respective OEM's level of investment in those product lines. If you wanted an economy car you bought a Civic. If you wanted a shitbox you bought an Escort for less money.
- anthony_d 6y ago
  > By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. I completely disagree with that. I bought a Cadillac in 2012. Its build quality was lower than anything I've seen from BMW, Audi or Volvo. I'm talking about really inconsistent panel (internal and exterior) gaps and misc vehicle rattles. It's also worth mentioning the Cadillac was the most expensive vehicle of the group and very much a line that GM cared about. I have no idea how Ford is doing, but GM is still not comparable to German/Swedish/Korean manufacturers.

kazen44 6y ago

Also, manufacturing engineering and mass production was just getting started. hell, Ford was famous for adopting scientific management and the assembly line to cranck out a massive amount of cars at that time. I would even argue ford's model of manufacturing turned the last remnats of workshop based work into the mass producing factory.