| Going back to the 1920's, the U.S. automakers | | | | surprise when the Big Three introduced three |
| began to break away from Henry Ford's | | | | smaller models to compete against the imports: |
| philosophy of sticking with the same model, in the | | | | the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvaire, and the |
| same color, at the same price. Instead, | | | | Plymouth Valiant. These cars, which were cheap |
| manufactures like General Motors changed models | | | | to make, and appealing to the consumer would |
| every year, to give the impression that there | | | | turn out to be unsafe and poorly constructed. |
| was something unique that the American | | | | Nader, being a consumer, himself was outraged |
| Consumer needed to buy. But changing models | | | | that the U.S. auto industry could get away with |
| constantly required large investments of capital | | | | murder. So he published his book "Unsafe at Any |
| for design and retooling. Detroit was planting the | | | | Speed" to expose the automakers. Millions of |
| seeds of its own destruction if it didn't keep up | | | | people read his book. |
| with trends amongst the buying public. | | | | For its part, GM was shocked that this young, |
| A high demand for cheap attractive models would | | | | unknown attorney would attack one of the pillars |
| lead to one of the biggest muckraker stories in | | | | of American business. General Motors trying to |
| the mid 60's. | | | | hide from the problem was finally caught, and |
| In 1965 Ralph Nader published "Unsafe at Any | | | | James Roche, president of GM, was forced to |
| Speed: The designed-In-Dangers of the American | | | | apologize before the Senate Subcommittee on |
| Automobile." He exposed how General Motors and | | | | Traffic Safety. Also, thanks to Nader, the |
| the American auto industry were placing | | | | Consumer Product Safety Act was passed along |
| consumers' lives at risk by failing to design safe | | | | with the Freedom of Information Act. This forced |
| cars. Nader especially singled out the General | | | | the U.S auto industry to redesign and overhaul |
| motors' Corvair which he labeled a death trap. | | | | their automobiles. |
| By the late 1950's, the Big Three automakers | | | | America owes more than it may ever realize to |
| were losing out to a public that was demanding | | | | Nader and his research. If not for him Automobile |
| smaller, less expensive cars, and was also | | | | industries could still be building unsafe cars. The |
| increasingly attracted to imports, especially the | | | | time and efforts put into "Unsafe at Any Speed" |
| Volkswagen Beetle. Imports, in fact accounted for | | | | has paid off for American consumers and also for |
| 10 percent of all sales in the U.S., exceeding | | | | the US auto industry. |
| 600,000 a year in 1958. So in 1959 it came as no | | | | Interested in this subject? |