James Brumley

Detroit: Please Bring Back the Stripped Car

Interesting debate - a lot of good points on both sides. Ultimately though, I think the author's premise is flawed not in principle but in practice.

If it were just quality, or just coolness, or just reliability, or just features, or just a good price that the average consumer wanted, then Detroit's big three could compete.

However, consumers want (and understandably) at least measurable amounts of all five of those qualities in anything they buy, A stripped down car is cheaper, but if the other key criteria aren't met, then it's just not good enough - a stripped car doesn't meet four of the five criteria (usually)

To be clear, I'm not saying every car Detroit makes has to be off the charts on those five criteria, but each criteria has to be addressed.

Fact is, Asia has managed to meet all five criteria - affordably - and still managed to ship cars over here, and still beat Detroit on price. American consumers don't want the world, but the marketplace isn't wrong...ever.

I think (though respectfully) the author doesn't recognize that the stripped car was popular at a time when lifestyles didn't require us to be in our cars more than in our homes. 40 years ago, putting 15K miles on a car per year was unheard. Now it's the norm, and consumers can't roll the clock back that much. As much as I'm in my car, I want something that's reasonably nice... nicer than the average stripped auto from the 70's. Japan has supplied something comfortable, affordable, as well as semi-stylish for me. Detroit hasn't.

As for the fleet argument, I don't know what fleets are like where you're all from, but near here we still have large fleets....made up of relatively-stripped Japanese imports.