Quote:
|
Originally Posted by SydneyViking
If you were not aware previously, US made vehicles have long been the laughing stock of the world automotive industry. Your productivity, quality and design have been a byword for mediocracy.
|
And I suppose the Australian automobile industry is the pinnacle of design and performance? The only Australian carmaker that I can name off the top of my head is Holden, and I believe that they are owned by General Motors.
If shoddy build quality, unreliable performance and sub-par components are what it takes to give a car "soul" I would agree that the English marques were neck and neck with Alfa Romeo and Fiat in the production of soulful cars. But today cars are expected to be safe, dependable, and priced competitively. If a carmaker can't compete, they go on the block to the highest bidder or they go under.
Face facts: If it weren't for the money that Ford has plowed into Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover all of them would have gone tits up a long time ago. If Volkswagen hadn't acquired Bentley, they would have died. Rolls Royce owes it's continued existence to BMW. The "British" auto industry would have ceased to exist if it weren't for foreign auto makers coming in and modernizing the whole apparatus.
Having said all of that, I love Land Rovers and wouldn't trade my Discovery in on anything other than another Rover.
