Notable 1970s Cars (The Good & Bad)
In 1949, the Beetle was introduced to the U.S. market and although only two were sold that year, six years later, more than 20,000 were sold in the U.S. By 1965, half a million reached the U.S. market. A favorite among hippies and college professors, the Beetle became a symbol of the counterculture of the late 1960s.
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Among 1970s cars, its popularity was closely linked to its very lack of styling and pretense. Having its number one attraction, price, young people flocked to buy the “Bug”. You can buy an American car for $3,000, or you can buy a Volks and a washer and a dryer and couple of television sets and a phonograph. The Volkswagen was the antithesis of the typical American car: it was small, noisy, homely, and uncomfortable. On the other hand, it was also efficient, functional as well as economical. The Beetle never changed. Year after year, it looked the same, felt the same, sounded the same.
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Although the Big Three responded with small cars of their own, by 1969, more than i million imports were registered in the U.S. and of those, half were Volkswagens. In 1973 sales of the Beetle passed the 15 million mark. That figure even surpassed even Ford’s legendary Model T. That was quite an impressive achievement for a car once referred to by Henry Ford II as “a little shit box.”
Honda sent a real warrior over in the 1978 Accord, one of the first subcompact Japanese cars to feature great styling. The combination of mechanical excellence and looks made this one of the best 1970s cars. Featuring looks and price to add to its attraction, by 1989, the Accord was the best-selling car in America. The Japanese worker, an epitome of absolute dedication and compliance with quality control, made this car one of the most, if not the most durable and trustworthy car in the world. Where the Americans were turning out shoddy products or certainly not top quality, the Japanese automakers focused more on quality.
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Not all 1970s cars succeeded, there were also some failures. The Vega was simply a car prone to mechanical failure of one sort or another. It was the direct result of management’s decision to cut labor costs through the use of automation. Workers went out on strike in 1972 at the Lordstown facility of GM due to exhaustion caused by backbreaking pace required to keep up with robots on the assembly line.
With an increase in quantity came a decrease in quantity. The Vega’s became one of the most notoriously unreliable cars among 1970s cars. It was recalled three times because of safety defects. The engine as well as breaks were breaking down. The Vega therefore became a symbol of Detroit’s inability to make a quality car for the subcompact market.
Next up is the Ford Pinto. The story of the Pinto was more disturbing because its faulty design contributed to deaths of motorists as well as passengers. After being rear-ended, the Pinto burst into flames. In one suit, a California jury awarded damages of $128 million. Ford subsequently became the first car company in U.S. history to be charged with criminal homicide. Ford’s ultimate exoneration did not help. That stigma did a devastating damage to the company’s reputation.
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Category: Car