Comedian Jay Leno (an avid car enthusiast and collector, in case you didn’t know) had some words of advice for America’s three struggling automakers. Leno didn’t say anything that hasn’t been said before, but, not surprisingly, the man conveys his point uniquely.
There’s no arguing U.S. automakers — some more than others — are making huge strides in improving their products. Leno has even helped GM pitch the new Cadillac CTS and forthcoming Camaro. But Leno reckons there’s still work to be done in the world of U.S. cars.
In a recent interview in the June issue of Portfolio magazine, Leno said: “When you get in a cheap American car, like a rental, and the key is left in it, it goes plink, plink, plink. It’s just horrible. Every time you use the turn signal it’s like breaking a chicken leg.”
But according to Leno, a turnaround is still possible. “The classic example is Harley-Davidson. Throughout the ’70s, the motorcycle maker had huge quality control problems. Then Harley-Davidson said, ‘Look, let’s take our time. Let’s build fewer bikes. Let’s build them properly, so they don’t leak oil and they’ll run forever.’ Harley-Davidson won back the market share it lost, and it continues to dominate today.”
Leno said in his view, American’s won’t warm up to small cars as much as some analysts are predicting. “No matter what happens, do not expect all Americans to go Eurosize. American buttocks are not getting any smaller.”
