We Need Militant Nationalism

[David Horn]

(07-26-2017, 02:20 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: The difference between SV and Detroit City is that industries and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are always coming up with new technology, and there's always a race (that I'm glad I'm not involved in) to get out the next new thing. And with leaders like Elon Musk and the leaders of google and facebook here, among many others, Silicon Valley tech and industry is always diversifying and entering new fields. Detroit car companies, by contrast, got stuck in ruts and got spoiled and complacent. They did not focus on improving the product, or on fuel efficiency in a time of energy crises; especially in the 1970s. Management was more old-fashioned and top-down conventional. Japanese makers outstripped them in the 1980s, and they have been and still are slower to get going with electric cars to answer the needs of today. And by now, they have all left Detroit anyway. That was also because of the 1967 riots and the ensuing era of high crime there, as well as the complacent management style of Detroit city leaders.

Most of the car companies were actually pretty diversified, but not anymore:

• GM: In addition to brands selling assembled vehicles, GM has also had various automotive-component and non-automotive brands, many of which it divested in the 1980s through 2000s. These have included Euclid and Terex (earthmoving/construction/mining equipment & vehicles); Electro-Motive Diesel (locomotive, marine, and industrial diesel engines); Detroit Diesel (automotive and industrial diesel engines); Allison (Aircraft engines,transmissions, gas turbine engines); Frigidaire (Appliances including refrigeration and air conditioning); New Departure (bearings); Delco Electronics and ACDelco (electrical and electronic components); GMAC (finance); General Aviation and North American Aviation (airplanes); GM Defense (military vehicles); and Electronic Data Systems (information technology).
  
• Ford: Ford stayed primarily in the transportation field, but busses and farm machinery (primarily tractors) were also built. 
  
• Chrysler: Had  a military wing that built rockets, tanks and other non-transport platforms. 
  

The gas crises and the Great Depression took their toll.