@byeman- I am not going into moonhoax dissection, as that would endanger my status here. Anyway, I didn`t come to a conclusion of moonhoax by scanning some yellow press or tabloids, I took a research about a half year long, and only then drew a conclusion. But I digress.
As to car industry, which is akin to aircraft industry, or motorbike industry, or wristwatch industry, or industrial robot industry-all of them deal with mechanical precision engineering, huge R&D inputs , cummulative expertize and constant product overhaul.
let`s see what are the common denominators within US precision industries. Let`s look at car industry-
1.
Subpar material texture and fit and finish. Gaps, gaps, gaps, gaps, squeaks, rattles,gaps.....
2.
Reliability issues ( now by outsourcing and borrowing majority of complex precision mechanisms, Detroit has managed to fake improved reliability). For example your Ford doesn`t stall , because it has Mazda MRZ engine, Aisin gearbox, Mazda 6 platform, etc. Ditto to Gm and Chrysler. Chrysler evascerates Merc, and Mitsu, and Fiat, while Gm is drenching Opel, Daewoo, Isuzu, leaving middle class of Detroit in shambles.
3.
Fake diversity. Many models among brands are nothing more than rebadges, regrilles and botox injections. This leads to certain death. For example,GM wanted to resuscitate Saturn out of coma by substituting real engineering with Opel rebadging. Now we know where it lead to. Now it`s Buick`s turn.
4.
Long product cycles. Detroit has been famous for squeezing blood out of a stone by endless updates, akin to hye Cobra Z version, and delaying as far as possible construction of next generation vehicles. japanese would manage to churn out a new generation every 5-7 years, while Us counterparts took 7-11 years. Mercury marauder anyone? For realz?
5.
Poor engine and body type diversity. Poor product diversity. While japanese have adapted to every new segment and germans have been catching up as well, US companies are slow to learn. In early 80ies Chrysler invented a minivan. Where is the diversity? Toyota cranks out about 5 types of minivans, and seem not to get enough. When was the last time Ford engineered a minivan? When did GM itself engineer a minivan in last decades? When was the last time US based company engineered a minivan that wouldn`t have had leaf springs ? When was the last time Detroit engineered a new platform? And I don`t mean fiddling with Opel platforms from Germany, but actually rolling up your sleeves over your Timexes and engineering from a clean slate up!
5.
Dwindling in-house expertize. Most US companies outsource at such heavy rates that they already lack expertize to construct complex components resorting to Asian subcontractors, which have nothing to do with foreign subsidiaries of the mother company. The more complex a component, the less likely it will be engineered domestically. And it is not labour costs issue, because most engineering is outsourced from Germany, Japan and South Korea, not Uganda, Latvia or Lesotho.
6.
Obsoletness in technologies. Detroit has been famous for squeeezing out more ponies from old Fox platfoms or auburn colourd OHv blocks. Why mess around with DOHC or variable time valves, just add more cubic inches. Remote gas cap? Naah. Just add cupholders. Rear disc brakes, naah. Just pour more chrome on rims. This has been attitude of Detroit for decades. Making money by attaching 2 chariot leaf springs to train rails and shoving a tin on top to sell it as a real rig for real boys.with a real markup. Now they have caught up by resorting to import components.
This was a short description of car industry. I bet you can substitute the entry ` car` with airplane, bikes, consumer electronics, trucks, trains, ...you see the point.