Here’s a quick-moving Chevrolet clip from 1960 that showcases the automaker’s manufacturing process—and illustrates the challenges in building America’s most popular cars.
When this short film was produced in 1960, General Motors was arguably the greatest manufacturing company in the world. And Chevrolet was its largest auto division, dwarfing the automaker’s other car brands: Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile. From its home plants in Flint, Michigan and multiple assembly plants across the country, Chevrolet produced more than 1.65 million passenger cars in 1960—and in astonishing variety. On the full-size Chevrolet alone, there were five available engines, five transmission choices, seven body styles in three trim levels, 14 exterior colors, dozens of interior fabrics, and a nearly infinite list of luxury and performance options.
Indeed, at the 1:40 mark in our video, the narrator boasts that the number of build variations for a four-door sedan numbered seven million. The choices for consumers were rich indeed, as the announcer proudly notes. However, these endless variations also introduced tremendous complexities into the manufacturing process, with a decidedly adverse impact on cost, efficiency, and product quality.
A few years later the Japanese automakers would demonstrate a better way, with model and color choices slashed to a minimum and an obsessive focus on quality and efficiency. In fact, the newcomers had simply circled back to Henry Ford’s original principle of uniformity in manufacturing. As Ford said of his Model T, “You can have any color you like, as long as it’s black.” Among the many points to ponder in this great little film. Video follows.
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The slashing of colors and options has turned the automotive industry into what it is today, a producer of bland, look alike bellybutton cars that you can’t tell apart unless you read the nameplates. While the almost infinite amount of options and color choices was overkill and not cost effective, the other extreme takes out the individualism in owning a vehicle built with what you want on it, and not a lot of fluff and standard features that you will never use is just as bad, if not worse, for the consumer. Why pay for things you don’t want, or won’t use? Automakers need to return to some sort of middle ground, somewhere between infinite options and no options, say 4 interior choices instead of 1 or 2, 10 exterior colors instead of 3-4, give the customer a choice instead of it being a take it or leave it deal. I guess that’s one reason I prefer older vehicles, I customise them to suit me, add or subtract features I want or don’t want, and make them mine.
Several times in buying a car, I’ve been confronted with the issue of ‘special colors’. The car is offered in black, white, silver and this year’s special color. Better buy now, we may have the color next year! Oh you wanted green? Sorry, should have bought two years ago.
The only time I’ve been offered a choice of interior colors it’s also meant a choice of either leather or cloth. “The interior comes in black unless you want to spring for the $2500 leather seats.” “But that car has a beige cloth interior, I want that!”. Sorry, that car is blue. We only offer black for red cars.”
I’m still upset that I had to buy an $1100 option package just to get a rear wiper. I’ve often spent less money than I would have because the options I wanted only came in expensive packages that included a lot of things I didn’t want. Why do I need to buy aluminum wheels and air conditioning to get cruise control?
The reason these older cars still have appeal is the actual range of colors. Look at the cars in that clip. These days that is the entire lineup of colors!. Let alone trim.
Everyone waffles about how good Jap cars are/ were. But most are scrap after a decade meanwhile these old cars are still around. Easier to repair is in part the reason.
Though since the late 60s GM have made some bloody awfull cars. Trying to be Japanese and succeeding,, with garbage.
Here in Oz GMH stopped making cars in 1980, either Euro or Asian crap. And probably worse in the US
Easier to repair was the only reason, here in the rust belt. I will give the manufacturers credit for that. I have a 17 year old Chev. S-10 Blazer, and a like new looking 15 year old GMC Envoy.
When I was a kid, my first entry level stock car was only 8 years old. Too much rust, gas tank fell out. As a race car, all the things that made it a used up street car could be crudely fixed, or not needed.
This also created the problem of unsold inventory. When cars were ordered, you knew they were already sold. Now they pump out cars for the sake of production numbers, ship them to dealers, and hope they can sell them.
Ordering to customers specs, can’t be any more expensive than guessing how much customers will spend on bloated option packages.
Used to be the dealer didn’t need a big inventory. Those cars were to show off what you could get. They would sell from inventory, if you were satisfied with a car they had. But who did thst back then when you could order “your” car. Not what you were forced to buy.