I've been reading the book of the above title. It's an interesting read, covering the auto industry in the post-war era as brands like Kaiser, Willys, Studebaker, Packard, and Hudson struggled for a permanent foothold in and industry that increasingly favored economies of scale.
Kaiser and Willys ultimately combined, with the Willys Jeeps being the surviving line, but there isn't much about that in the book. This is more the earlier Kaiser-Frazer story. Of course, Kaiser-Frazer was the source of the Super-Hurricane engine, and there is a bit of discussion in the book about Kaiser's acquisition of the engine from Continental, their sometimes frustrating struggles to adapt it (a mainly stationary engine) for use in autos, and their efforts to keep it viable with little improvements long after it became obsolete, because they didn't have the money to buy or develop a new engine.
Kaiser-Frazer built good cars, but after a brilliant start in 1947 when other car makers didn't have new post-war designs, they were always behind the curve on engine power, amenities, and pricing. They were too small to be cost-efficient, and as a relative start-up, they didn't have well-developed supply lines. Also, the Kaiser side, which brought the capital to the K-F partnership, didn't have a background in the automobile industry. They began to take over the business as more capital was required, and they made unwise investments in impractical R&D that really wasn't very helpful. It became a vicious circle as the product fell behind, the dealer network was smaller, their purchasing power weakened, and concerns about the company's viability began to circulate.
Interestingly, Kaiser had been fabulously successful at everything else up to this point. He had built an empire in cement, shipbuilding (those famous Liberty ships) and later aluminum and steel. The Kaiser business had helped build Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and Glen Canyon Dam.
Kaiser Permanente, the big West Coast health plan, is one of the Kaiser legacies.
Kaiser and Willys ultimately combined, with the Willys Jeeps being the surviving line, but there isn't much about that in the book. This is more the earlier Kaiser-Frazer story. Of course, Kaiser-Frazer was the source of the Super-Hurricane engine, and there is a bit of discussion in the book about Kaiser's acquisition of the engine from Continental, their sometimes frustrating struggles to adapt it (a mainly stationary engine) for use in autos, and their efforts to keep it viable with little improvements long after it became obsolete, because they didn't have the money to buy or develop a new engine.
Kaiser-Frazer built good cars, but after a brilliant start in 1947 when other car makers didn't have new post-war designs, they were always behind the curve on engine power, amenities, and pricing. They were too small to be cost-efficient, and as a relative start-up, they didn't have well-developed supply lines. Also, the Kaiser side, which brought the capital to the K-F partnership, didn't have a background in the automobile industry. They began to take over the business as more capital was required, and they made unwise investments in impractical R&D that really wasn't very helpful. It became a vicious circle as the product fell behind, the dealer network was smaller, their purchasing power weakened, and concerns about the company's viability began to circulate.
Interestingly, Kaiser had been fabulously successful at everything else up to this point. He had built an empire in cement, shipbuilding (those famous Liberty ships) and later aluminum and steel. The Kaiser business had helped build Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and Glen Canyon Dam.
Kaiser Permanente, the big West Coast health plan, is one of the Kaiser legacies.