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Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C
You are correct in that the A was somewhat of a failure as far as ROI was concerned however I am now wondering, was there any US-manufactured vehicle during that same or later era whose production that lasted any longer? It appears to me that technology was advancing pretty quickly where a vehicle was obsolete within a few years with regard to styling and mechanical advancements.
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The A was the last mass produced design till the Volkswagen type 1.Styling and marketing took the place of sound engineering principals as the driving force behind sales.
One needs to look no further than the 'A' platform,the traverse spring/torque tube design lasted 20 years,through all kinds of styling changes sales and marketing drove the bigger engine push and body design changes but the base design held fast.Engineering took a back seat to sales,Vw fought that trend till 1968,the type 1 till 1967 was the last automobile 'controlled' by the engineering department,sales and marketing had no input,they sold what engineering designed.
Whats interesting about the A is that it endured,its simplicity was its savior.When later cars couldn't be fixed in the backyard they met their end,the very driving force behind their sale...new,modern complex devices..caused their downfall..