Creating an Enduring Automobile

I am amazed at the ability of contemporary automobile manufactures to constantly reinvent their products. Now, that is not to say that every major modification to a given brand is well-received--witness the divisive effect Chris Bangle had on the BMW brand. However, even amidst the myriad (justified) critiques of contemporary automobile manufacturers--from design flaws, to efficiency worries, to drastic financial mismanagement--we can, at the very least, credit them with this admirable characteristic: they are not afraid to reinvent their products. Of course, whether such changes are something to praise or are completely misguided is another matter.

Contemporary automobile manufacturers are caught in a perilous position when it comes to reinventing their products. Quite simply, they cannot, financially speaking, afford to make a substantial mistake in revolutionizing their products. The trouble, however, is that they must respond to the current economic crisis with products that will sell or, well, you know what will result...

Manufacturers have been, understandably, cautious with their recent products. They have responded to the customer's paramount need for economical automobiles by improving the gas milage of their vehicles and flooding the advertisement scene with enlarged fonts displaying the "astounding" miles-per-gallon figures of their vehicles. They have witnessed and responded to the influence of the "going green" movement on everyday society by offering hybrid vehicles throughout their model line-up--once reserved for less-expensive economy cars, hybrid engines are now offered by many manufacturers in their flagship vehicles. These instances are the result of simple market research and good old common sense (and a little bit of desperation): the consumer wants this kind of product, and we need to sell vehicles, so we are going to make exactly what they want and save the revolutionary ideas for a more financially-friendly environment.

Now, to some, that last statement will result in some strong objections. Granted, manufacturers made remarkable strides in developing more efficient vehicles. And, yes, there is a great deal to be said for good market research. However, it is very difficult for manufacturers to keep up with the fluctuations of contemporary consumer needs, not to mention impossible to account for every customer's every need. This is somewhat of a general principle, though it is especially true in the automobile world. How, then, do you create a product that will sell in the middle of a dramatically-weakened world economy? What kind of vehicle will be so awe-inspiring, so irresistible, so simply perfect that seeing one for sale on the lot would tempt the potential buyer to forgot his now-saturated 401k and purchase it?

First, it starts with a simple fact, of which manufacturers are well aware, but need to reminded of from time to time: caution addresses short-term worries, but caution does not endure in the automobile world. Nobody needed a Lamborghini Miura, but the people at Lamborghini, God bless them, thought it would be nice to build it, and now it stands as one of the first true supercars. Nobody needed to spend fortunes on SUV fuel, but Chevrolet still built the Suburban, which became the most popular large SUV since the birth of the SUV marketplace. Nobody needed a small, impractical, shamelessly unreliable sports car with the engine where the trunk should be, but the Porsche 911 became, second perhaps only to the Corvette, the quintessential example of an enduring sports car icon.

The common thread in these examples is a more bold approach by manufacturers. Instead of merely producing vehicles with features pertinent to the needs of the times, manufacturers effectively said, "Don't worry--we'll still listen to your suggestions--but look at what we just developed: we think that you need this car." In a time when some may say that there is simply no way for automobile manufacturers to regain the confidence of their shareholders--or the average consumer for that matter--it is my hope that they will be more bold with their new products. Remember the sentiment with which the automobile industry was started over a century ago: yes, a horse will do the job, but you need to try this...