[orconn]

Let's face it, early on ( and I mean way back in the "dark ages" of the automotive industry's history) American car manufacturers were very innovative and contributed greatly to the development of the car as we know it today. But the was primarily before the Second World War. Beginning in the 1950's American the emphasis for American companies was on building the most saleable, meaning styling and straight line performance, at the very cheapest price. Hence we had the 1957 Chevy (and its for runners the '55 and '56) the equivalent Fords, which put alot of "zing" in alot peoples driveways at a fraction of the cost of foreign cars with equivalent visual appeal and performance. Let's face VWs were sought after for there affordability not their style or performance.

But while the Americans were pursuing a "make it cheap and affordable" goal, the Europeans were trying to satisfy a different economic group with a much higher income and disposable income level were car buyers in the US. This European market demanded cars that would actually handled on the narrow twisting roads and could sustain high speeds on the Autibahns and super highways which were beginning to be common in Europe. Until well into the 1970's there were no speed limits on the high speed roads. Thus the European environment and the affluent car buying demographic provided a marketplace where innovation in the form better handling, better accident prevention and survivabilty were highly saleable attributes. High horsepower good looking cars from European companies were extremely expensive and large displacement engines were taxed very heavily (as they are today in Europe and Japan). It is for this reason that Mercedes and Volvo and oth European manufacturers have been leaders in safety and handing innovation while American companies have lagged behind. Let's face it America gets what it pays for, pure and simple!