cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/63264799
And, a recent tour of one of the Asian powerhouse’s vehicle plants has proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt, at least to Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
“We have no chance against this,” Mibe said upon a visit to a Shanghai parts factory, commenting on its seamless automation across all levels of production. Logistics, procurement and all aspects of the process were so automated, in fact, that he did not spot a single human worker on the supplier’s floor.
Ford executives saying even three years ago that China was way ahead of the game
Toyota’s CEO has likewise said regarding not just his company, but the industry in general, “unless things change, we will not survive”
I had a Mazda B2200 and it was fantastic. 8’ bed, regular cab and a 2.2L 4 cylinder engine. Perfect. All of the long time brands had such offerings for a good long time. Toyota of course, Isuzu, Chevy had the S-10, and yes the Ford Ranger. Some things you just can’t fit in a hatchback civic, or don’t want inside your car, but you don’t need a whole F-150( which now seems to only even be available as a crew cab with a pissy little 5’ bed. Light pickups were a useful category of vehicle.
Excuse me? F150s have a smaller bed? Wtf. I mean our f250 was more comfortable but it felt more bulky then it needed to be.
Now all the other cars you listed i have no idea about. Im no car dude, i just so happened to work at a place that had a lot of ford vehicles that i had to drive.
All the trucks now seem to come with the dinky short beds and a whole SUV worth of interior. The pickup truck as a utility vehicle has all but died.
Thats so stupid though. I mean dont short the cab like the ranger i drove, but a bed helps so much whem you need it. Thats why i liked the e150 because that shit was bareboned but still had some comfrey seats with leg room.
God i know its been like a decade since i worked in those types of vehicles, but have trucks just become a dick swinging contest over the usability of them? I know everything else going on is so stupid, i didnt want to know this was another one.
Yeah, it’s pretty bad.