cavanami Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Mercury falling: Ford eliminates mid-range brand Sweet Betty Lou at the drive-in movie, in the back seat of the old family Merc...such was the day... http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1453/mercury-falling-ford-eliminates-mid-range-brand/ Ford Motor Co. will cease production of its 72-year-old Mercury brand by the end of 2010 after years of declining sales. Mercury's death is the latest in a string of casualties as Detroit carmakers try to cut costs and invest more heavily in fewer offerings. By shedding a mid-range brand that was more and more irrelevant to buyers, the automaker can focus on accelerating sales of Ford and beefing up its luxury Lincoln brand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Time to buy a new Studebaker, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted June 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Cheaper to buy a "new" Studi then an old one! Made in South Bend, Indiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 The U.S. carmakers cut their own throats back in the '70s with arrogance and downright chicanery. They made some shoddy cars that they knew would not last believing that Americans would stay brand loyal and buy the latest model. It was true that families stayed loyal to brands. However, putting out a shoddy product was unethical. Got stuck with the acronym F.O.R.D. - Fix Or Repair Daily. The Japanese to their credit focused on quality and market share. Although they weren't saints either and would undercut the market at a loss to increase market share. The car companies again didn't see the writing of the wall of the fluctuations of oil prices upwards with the SUVs and such. The american car maker is dead. They aren't even American any longer. Well Chrysler isn't and in time I expect the American car makers to go the way of VCR makers (and now DVD players) and be taken over by foreign companies. (GE, RCA, et.al, used to make VCRs). ...and yes, its one of many examples why America is gone. The America we think is, isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted June 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 The entire industrial base of the USA has been pretty much destroyed...making steel, not in the USA so much, autos, we already know, clothing, shoes...hundreds of thousands of jobs gone, never to return...why, PROFITS! The US gov and big business has sold out the US people, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted June 4, 2010 Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 Indeed there has been a huge shift in US employment from industrial to services type employment, but to say there is not steel production in the US is not true. The US is still about the 4th largest producer in the world. China accounts for almost 36% of the world wide total, but if you need quality steel, you have to go to Japan, Europe or the US. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted June 4, 2010 Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 Birmingham, Alabama used to glow at night from the steel mills. Iron workers from Sheffield, England were brought there in the 1870s and '80s to set up the mills. There're all gone now, not a single mill left. The only reminder is the statue of Vulcan on the hillside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted June 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 Problem was that the US industrial complex stopped updating their equipment in the 1970's. They sucked out all the profits and did not reinvest in their industry. Try competing when your equipment is slow, broken down junk! All the while Germany, China, Japan and Taiwan were pouring $$$ into their equipment; better quality product at higher speeds...guess who loses the battle, the USA! I lived thru it, up close and very personal. Also didn't help that Jimmy Carter had the tax laws changed so companies now had to pay tax on their inventories! Guess who got laid off at that time, me! If you are not manufacturing to keep stock in inventory, then you don't need workers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted June 4, 2010 Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 China makes about 5X the amount of steel the USA produces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted June 4, 2010 Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 Birmingham, Alabama used to glow at night from the steel mills. Iron workers from Sheffield, England were brought there in the 1870s and '80s to set up the mills. There're all gone now, not a single mill left. The only reminder is the statue of Vulcan on the hillside. Link Nucor Steel Birmingham, Inc. is a proud member of the Nucor Bar Mill group. The Birmingham production facilities are located within the city limits of Birmingham, Alabama on 27 acres. We are centrally located to server the greater southeast marker with over 600,000 tons of annual production capacity. Our production capabilities include Concrete Reinforcing Bar (rebar) from 10MM / # 3 to 57MM . # 18 in diameter. Feel free to explore the website for more information about our products and their availability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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