The U.S. auto industry has a history like no other. What started as a cottage industry more than 100 years ago soon exploded into an industrial juggernaut, a glittering showcase for American industrial might and know-how that for decades was the envy of the world. Then, it all started to unravel. And after years of teetering near disaster, the industry finally collapsed onto itself a victim of its own complacency and serial incompetence, to be sure but also a colossal casualty of a rapidly manic global economy that rewarded new and next over hoary traditions powered by historical inertia. Today, we have two of the three principal players in the U.S. auto industry crawling from the wreckage of excruciating and painfully humiliating bankruptcies, and though their wounds were largely self-inflicted and nearly fatal, the fact remains that this industry having set the tempo for America s manufacturing base for decades is still standing. But there is still a story to be told and what a tale it is. From the conniving corporate sycophants and mindless bureaucratic weasels to the legions of self-aggrandizing politicians (who treated the looming disaster as their personal playground, while putting their stunning, maliciously-driven biases and incompetence on display for the whole country to see), it is a saga filled with outrage and flat-out stupidity as well as wonder and blatant disbelief. So here then are the staggering details: How an entire founding industry the mainstay of the American industrial fabric came unglued, went down for the count and eventually pulled itself up by its bootstraps so it could live to fight another day.

Witch Hunt

Business & Money

De Lorenzo, Peter M

Industries

Octane Press

The United States of Toyota is many stories in one. First and foremost, it is a business story, detailing the decline of the American automobile industry - and the simultaneous rise of an Asian manufacturer to take its place. It is also a history book, providing an intimate portrait of the larger-than-life personalities and cars that led the American auto industry through its glory days and down the path toward extinction. It is a political/current affairs piece, presenting the rise of a Japanese company - Toyota - not just in terms of its sales success but also in terms of its cultural success, as it works to assimilate into American society. And finally, it is a never-before-seen primer on Detroit - The Motor City - a town and a region dominated by the auto companies, their suppliers and their ad agencies - and by a mindset and culture all its own. In commentary that is as accurate as it is blunt, Peter De Lorenzo presents the players and the action in the auto business in a way not seen before in print. His voice is unique and refreshingly candid. His provocative analyses and assessments - grounded in personal experience and a lifelong immersion in all things automotive - present a compelling picture of the state of the auto business - how it used to be, what it has become and where it is headed. From the arrogance and short-sightedness of the Detroit manufacturers to the acumen and relentlessness of Toyota, The United States of Toyota paints an insightful portrait of an iconic American industry as it struggles for survival in the early years of the 21st century.

The United States of Toyota: How Detroit Squandered Its Legacy and Enabled Toyota to Become America's Car Company

Autoextremist Agency Inc

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by De Lorenzo, Peter M. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by De Lorenzo, Peter M

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by De Lorenzo, Peter M. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Witch Hunt

The United States of Toyota: How Detroit Squandered Its Legacy and Enabled Toyota to Become America's Car Company