The Automobile and the 1980s in America

From Mass Production to Lean Production – 1980s onward Lean Production uses less of everything compared with mass production Half the human effort in the factory Half the manufacturing space Half the investment in tools Half the engineering hours to develop a new product in half the time Half the needed inventory on site

The goal of lean production is perfection Continually declining costs Zero defects Zero inventories Endless product variety

Japanese Automobile Production, YearProduction , , ,875, ,289, ,941, ,042, ,464,920

The Reagan Administration and a Possible Trade War with Japan Voluntary Restraint Agreement, 1982 Japanese Car Sales were to be kept at the 1979 level Limitations worked out to 1.68 million vehicles in 1982, 1.83 in 1983, 1.85 in 1984 BUT – did these restraints – that lasted to the 1990s, buy time?

YearLeaded Regular, nominal Leaded Regular, Real, in 2000 Dollars Unleaded Regular, Nominal Unleaded Regular, Real, in 2000 Dollars NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Table: Retail Motor Gasoline Fuel Prices, Selected years, Energy Information Administration/Annual Energy Review 2007

GM’s Spending Spree During the 1980s Roger’s Smith’s strategy to diversify and Go Hi-Tech 1984 Purchase of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) 1985 purchase of Hughes Aircraft 442 billion between 1980 and 1985 on new factories, tools, and equipment

A Similar Spending Spree at Chrysler Gulfstream Aerospace, 1985 Finance America, 1986 Lamborghini, 1987 Thrifty, Dollar, General and Snappy Car Rental American Motors, 1987 But – no money for new models – just a new “skin” or dashboard

Robots: 26,000 in use by 1987 in the U.S. Flexible robotics thus has reconciled Fordism and Sloanism, with truly revolutionary implications for automobile manufacturing. The result: more diversity of product, manufacturing techniques are more precise, quality improved, labor costs reduced.

Mass Production vs. Lean Production, 1986, GM vs. Toyota GM, Framingham, MAToyota, Japan Gross Assembly Hours per Car Defects Per Car13045 Assembly Space Per Car Inventories of Parts2 weeks2 hours

Japanese Assembly Plants in North America, to 1989 FirmLocation1989 ProductionCapacity HondaMarysville,OH; East Liberty, OH; Alliston, ON 351,670360,000 NUMMI, Toyota/GMFremont, CA192,235340,000 ToyotaGeorgetown, KY; Cambridge, ON 172,000290,000 NissanSmyrna, TN238,640480,000 MazdaFlat Rock, MI216,200240,000 Diamond Star, Chrysler/Mitsubishi Bloomington, IL91,839240,000 SIA, Subaru/IsuzuLafayette, IN120,000 CAMI, GM/SuzukiIngersoll, ON200,000

North American Assembly Plants Opened or Closed by American- Owned Automobile Companies, CompanyPlantYear Closed GMDetroit1987 GMNorwood,OH1987 GMLeeds, MO1988 ChryslerKenosha, WI1988 GMPontiac, MI1988 GMFramingham, MI1989 GMLakewood, GA1990 ChryslerDetroit1990 ChryslerSt. Louis1990 GMPontiac, MI1990

Radar Love" is a tale of late-night driving and ESP

Radar Love (1973) I've been driving all night, my hands wet on the wheel There's a voice in my head that drives my heel It's my baby calling, says I need you here And it's a half past four and I'm shifting gear When she is lonely and the longing gets too much She sends a cable coming in from above Don't need no phone at all We've got a thing that's called radar love We've got a wave in the air Radar love The radio is playing some forgotten song: Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong" The road has got me hypnotized And I'm speeding into a new sunrise When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough She sends her comfort coming in from above We don't need no letter at all We've got a thing that's called radar love We've got a line in the sky Radar love

“Low Rider” – War (1975) All my friends know the low rider The low rider is a little higher Low rider drives a little slower Low rider is a real goer Low rider knows every street, yeah Low rider is the one to meet, yeah Low rider don't use no gas now Low rider don't drive too fast Take a little trip, take a little trip Take a little trip and see Take a little trip, take a little trip Take a little trip with me

Low Riding is About: Passion Corazon (heart) Respect Lowriders speak to the importance of visualizing and communicating cultural identity Vehicles are a means of cultural expression within an urban landscape

What is a Lowrider? Low to the ground. With a setup to adjust ride height A fantastic candy paint job Chrome features Customized upholstery SOUND

Chicano and Black Culture Zoot Suit Culture 1940s Swing and jazz Scene 1940s and 1950s R&B Scene 1960s and 1970s A resistance to Cultural Conformity!!

Hydraulics First introduced in 1958 by Ron Aguirre, A Chicano from LA Surplus WWII plane parts, hydro air pumps and dumps (used for wing flaps) Police often targeted lowriders during 1960s

Lowriding as a Social Activity A family tradition Fostering fraternal realtionships Blood relatives or neighborhood connections Clubs – the Dukes of SoCal

Help! The devil's in my car. Help! The devil's in my car. Help! The devil's in my car. Ho, devil's in my car, whoa please. Please! Leave me alone! We're really tearin' tar. We're goin' 90 miles an hour. Ho! He's drivin' me crazy. He's drivin' me to Hell now. He's pointing his pitchfork at me. He's in the front seat of my car! He's taking over! oo, he ripped my upholstery. He's at the weel. Help! The devil's in my car. Help! He's drivin' too far. (scream!) Ooooooh! Whoooa! I can't lock the door, I can't put on my safety belt. There's nothing for me to do but yell HELP! Devil's in my car. I'm goin' to hell in my old Cheverolet, I don't know which way. Oh Help! Devil's in my car. Yeah Yeah. He's gone too far. I won't see ya tomorrow. I won't see ya anymore. He's got his cloven hoof on the clutch. Oh! Oh! I'm sitting on his tail.