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| Henry Ford driving his Quadricycle in 1896 |
Dateline June 4, 1896 – Henry takes his 1st Ford through
streets of Detroit.
From that moment forward ‘Merkins have adapted to the automobile, as opposed to
the other way around. Had the automobile been adapted to ‘Merkins instead:
streets of Detroit.
From that moment forward ‘Merkins have adapted to the automobile, as opposed to
the other way around. Had the automobile been adapted to ‘Merkins instead:
- Today we’d have fuel efficient cars that do not pollute the
environment. However, the Big Three fought that at every turn. Throughout the ‘60s,
‘70s, ’80, ‘90s, & ‘00s, had the car companies spent that lobbying money on
R&D instead, we might have Jetsons cars by now. Yet, they still haven’t
perfected the electric car, which have been around for 100 years. - Had Detroit
not ignored innovation that came from overseas, until it had almost devoured
them. In Detroit,
innovation meant cool cup holders and automatic windows. The game was to make
cosmetic changes from model year to the next, but add features no one asked for
to jack up the price. - The automobile also mean that our cities and towns no longer
had to grow up, they could grow out. That we built our suburbs as wide-open
expanses easily reached by car means we do not now have the population densities
needed to make rapid transit a viable option.
In just about every way we can name the car has changed ‘Merkin
life, and not always for the better. We pay a big price for cars, beyond the
sticker price. Yet, ‘Merkins seem to ignore all those other costs because their
cars can now talk to them.
life, and not always for the better. We pay a big price for cars, beyond the
sticker price. Yet, ‘Merkins seem to ignore all those other costs because their
cars can now talk to them.
These thoughts are a wild summation of two books I highly
recommend:
recommend:
- The Reckoning, by David Halberstam tells the story of how Detroit didn’t see Japan coming. It takes a deep look
into both the ‘Merkin and Japanese auto industries and their parallel development.
- Taken For A Ride; Detroit’sBig Three and the Politics of Pollution by Jack Doyle looks at all the ways Detroit fought every clean air
and mileage standards legislated by our politicians over the last half century.
Other Entries:
Unpacking My Detroit ► Part One
Unpacking My Detroit ► Part Two
Unpacking My Detroit ► Part Four