The rules are strict here – their final assembly must be solely done right here. That eliminates a lot of favorite cars, I am afraid. It also eliminates some of the best cars ever built because they were built elsewhere included in the USA.
There is a lot to unpack here. However, Stellantis made this a bit easier for me to navigate their strategy through the slogans that goes with each brand. The slogan is the messenger for what exactly they plan for each brand. Some of them are too tasty to read. Others fit what they are doing already or plan to do in the future.
What we saw were the results of these measures that shaped the automotive industry in North America in 1982. It wasn’t enough to build smaller passenger cars. There was something else that took place that also changed the way we looked at transportation – for both work and play.
Luxury is what the Chrysler brand has always been known for. Go back in history when the vision of Chrysler was attainable luxury and prestige. For example, the Imperial was badged as a Chrysler until 1955. That car was understated in the way it presents itself to wealthy clientele. It also instilled a sense of luxury that guides the Chrysler brand today.
If divine foreign intervention did not come in time for an American automaker, the company in question would have probably ceased to exist by 1982.
The truth is that the merger’s main focus is on its European operations and how each branch of this wide-ranging company will be able to keep its promises, meet new challenges, and create new opportunities within the company.
However, one particular story captured the most headlines in the automotive world during the course of 1981-82 school year. When people talked about automobiles, many conversations came up – either positive or dismissive. Yet, you could not ignore it – the commercials were all over and the vehicles were selling. He appeared in a good chunk of his company's spots – with a manifesto on his lips: "If you could find a better car, buy it!"
There are now generations of Americans who have forgotten that there was a mighty production facility in their community. Though some of them have not seen the wrecking ball, others either resemble a lay of wasteland or have been built to unrecognizable specifications.
A year ago, Chrysler showed off this revised 2021 Pacifica to the world at the Chicago Auto Show. Little did I know that it was happening at all. I did not pay attention to my social media while on the plane heading to Chicago early that morning. I believe it was as I was on Chicago Transit Authority’s Orange Line “L” from Midway Airport that I discovered that this minivan took the stage first at McCormick Place.
That is a 50-year old question that has scratched the heads of those of us who lament and laugh of these cars. In particular, how do we map the advent of a new class of American car to today’s automobiles?