Cloning isn't a good thing.... Cars included

It's 2010 and the American motor companies are recovering from what could be known as their "Great Depression."  Fifteen years ago I would have never dreamed that Chrysler and GM would be groveling at the governments feet for a bailout from their bankruptcy, selling off half their brands, and selling their soles to overseas competitors.  Now, fifteen years later, Ford is the only American motor company to be standing on it's own, GM has the nick name of government motors, and Chrysler is now going to be just as much Italian as it is American.  At least it can be said that 2010 is looking better than many of the years in the past and in the areas the count.  Maybe it's not such a bad thing the U.S may be getting a Chrysler badged version of the Fiat 500; I say that it's time to get away from generic images that come to mind when we think about American automobiles.

The question that I think should have been asked a long time ago clear back in the 1980's is where has all the flair gone?  The 1950's were full of winged, chromed machines cruising the highways of the day.  Until recently however our vehicles seemed to be slab sided afterthoughts of a once better day.  One of the major reasons that American motor companies have struggled in the past are clone cars that they have been pumping out for over 30 years.  Examples come to mind like the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, and the Chevrolet Trailblazer of course has too many clones to name.  All of these cars as well as many others are just re-badged version of other cars; none of which look unique enough to be priced more or less than another version and none of which are appealing to any automotive enthusiast.

I'm happy to say however that I think 2010 is going to be a much better year in the Automotive industry, especially in the American realm.  The European and Asian markets have been looking great for a long time but I think that after such a scare the Americans may finally get it right.  Ford, in my opinion is looking better than ever both inside and out, GM has been forced to sell off most of their cloning entities, and Chrysler looks pretty good in Italian leather.  I hope that we don't see too much of the re-badging anymore; obviously the savings didn't help in the long run.  I want to see more asymmetrical windows like on the Nissan Cube, head turners like the Nissan Juke, and timeless models like the Mercedes-Benz SLS with the gull-wing doors.  I don't want the Americans to be afraid of the flair that they once had back in their glory days; there is nothing wrong with a 20 ft Caddy with wings big enough to fly in my opinion.


The 1980's to the early 2000's may have been bleak years in American automotive design but from what I can see now there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Buick looks classy again, Cadillac has regained it's flair, Ford is looking better than it has in years and I can honestly say that I'd buy and American car for looks now and I haven't been able to say that since before my time!  Sometimes a midlife crisis is just what the doctor ordered.