Automobile Production

When you really stop to think about the collective effort in automobile production, its amazing how they can even turn a profit. The Automobile industry truly is a thing of beauty. They have figured out how employ a team of engineers who use professional skills that took them decades to learn and develop. A team of engineers who study 100+ years of research in experimental and mainstream mechanical technology and physics. A team of engineers specifically dedicated to making an automobile safe for it's occupants in any billion number of accident scenarios. A team of designers that spend years studying trends in style to make sure we will like how the automobile looks. A team who's primary responsibility is to test the automobile in any situation, to it's limits and beyond to find weak points and any other place that can be improved. A factory with 2,500+ workers, most with degrees or decades of assembly experience. $15,000,000,000 worth of robotics. Robotics that wear out every 3 years and must be checked daily for proper operation. Let's not forget accounting, PR, marketing, R&D, worldwide shipment, dealer network and service infrastructure. On top of that, the government regulations in emissions, safety and taxation. In order for an automobile to go from conception to reality, I would estimate that over 100,000 people would have a hand in the process at some point. Be it the auto company, government or somebody along the line. All these hands have to be paid in one way or another. All of the sudden 20 grand for a new car doesn't sound so bad, does it?

I am a pretty intense critic of American cars. Ever since I started getting interested in European cars, I found most American cars are lackluster and uninspired. It seems our cultural style and economic engine has forced the American based companies into cheap, point A to point B appliances. It really is staggering to see how big of a pile our cars have become. Cadillac and Buick. Two companies that used to be know for making some of the best luxury cars on the planet is now nothing more than a Chevrolet Impala with a different bumper and badge. Filled with cheap plastic and a snap together interior full of cheap knobs and crappy cloth. Even if the aesthetics sucked, they still could have spent some money in the mechanical department and made a car that could go beyond 75,000 miles without needing a major repair... but they couldn't even do that. Armed with an invincibility complex, they were so bent on making profits that they just sat back and watched while Germany and Japan took their market share in a matter of 15 years.

America just doesn't get it anymore. Our best stuff can't touch the European and Asian mainstream. They can do it... cheaper, faster, more reliable and better looking. Why can't we?