Are Toyota's that great? Or did Ford just miserably fail to adapt to changing market conditions?
I think that it has been a failure to adapt. And I think that the US foreign policy of "exporting" democracy displays the same lack of adaptability as the US auto industry. A dooming cultural parallel.
Of course this is not an earth shattering theory but I do think it is a shame that the smugness, blindness, and imperiousness of "the deciders" ends up trickling misery down onto the rank and file. And perhaps the stumble of an icon like Ford will cause people to question the "wisdom" of the governmental status quo.
For almost 50 years the USA has attempted to destabilize and/or unseat Fidel Castro. This task was not undertaken because the US government cared about the average Cuban citizen. The goal was to install a pro-Western government that would return Cuba to more of a staging area for corporations and less of a semi-successful long-running experiment of a system based on sharing resources.
Through the years, US foreign policy settled in on "pro-democracy" as a theme because it made the promise of "free choice." Two magic words for sure. FREE and CHOICE.
"Free" and "choice" usually gets a foot in the door (think Willie Loman) but eventually the poor country realizes that its been duped and tricked. Eventually you have a world map that it covered with countries that have been screwed by the US.
General Motors will fall behind Toyota next, and it precisely because their "deciders" will fail to adapt. And consumers will vote with their money. Maybe US citizens will somehow finally see their current leaders and their blatantly failed policies as clearly as they see the advantages of buying a fuel efficient Toyota.