[paul8488]

It isn't just the Germans... I'm not sure why people can't see the big difference between the American manufacturers and the rest.

GM, Ford and Chrysler built SUVs and trucks.
The imports built SUVs and trucks.

We all know that. Public perception might not accept that, but informed people know that it's true. The difference?

GM, Ford and Chrysler kept on building SUVs and trucks.
The imports kept on building trucks and SUVs... AND invested in cars.

THAT is the difference. GM, Ford and Chrysler let Toyota and Honda eat their compact and midsize car breakfast. The imports did a much better job of balancing SUVs and trucks against their car lineups, and are much healthier today for having done it.

GM has never had a competitive minivan (aside from the original truckish Safari / Astro). With the Malibu GM has their first competitive midsize sedan since... well... I don't know when. The Cavalier sold like crazy but wasn't truly competitive and apparently lost GM money. All the while GM had some of the best SUVs and trucks. And it was smart to exploit those markets and make big bucks. But no one forced them to ignore their cars. It was their own short-sightedness that left them at the beginning of the 90's with cars like the Malibu and Grand Am and L-Series that couldn't compete with the imports.

THAT is where the domestics failed where the imports succeeded.