Car: A Drama of the American Workplace

by Mary Walton

Book Overview

An insightful account of the redesigning of the Ford Taurus, chronicling firsthand the clashes between departments at Ford as the new machine takes shape on the assembly line.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393040801
• ISBN13: 9780393040807
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Everything you wanted to know about launching a new car

This meticulously observed and documented book is indispensable for understanding the why the American automobile industry seems to behave the way it does. It is sometimes amusing, sometimes maddening.

Walton's Story About the Making of a New Ford Taurus

I agree with several reviewers: no special interest in the car industry is required to enjoy this book. Mary Walton's story is a fascinating look at the human drama that is part of developing any complex product and bringing it to market, on time and on budget, despite impossible constraints Walton had Ford's permission to shadow the team tasked to bring a new Ford Taurus to market, and then write about her experience. There are many warring factions and few genuinely trusted parties from among the various teams responsibility for the new Taurus. The story is the interaction of various engineering teams, engineers from the plant ("factory rats") where the car is to be made, design groups (they pick the colors), executive leadership and finance that makes the real decision to go ahead and build the car, and most fascinating part: many suppliers told just enough to do their job and maybe, if they are clever, earn a profit. The two main and very colorful players, and self-described "pros" are Dick Landgraff and George Bell, his right-hand man. Their quotes are peppered throughout the book and by themselves make the book a worthy read. Here are few samples: George Bell, Landgraff's trusted chief engineer, had a "to make sure no one does anything stupid." Decisions that cost too much or upset the timetable are something stupid. "Any set of objectives that can be immediately met is probably not aggressive enough." George Bell Dick Landgraff believed that you should simply "find people you can trust and then empower them to do things. If they screw up, get rid of them." Some Georgisms: After looking at the engine compartment, "This looks like a dog's breakfast." And "Let's stop lashing ourselves with barbed wire." "The only thing that really counts is `Did I make the objectives?' I'm not being graded on, `Did I make everyone go away feeling good?'" Landgraff on not caring if he wasn't Mr. Nice Guy. You had to feel sorry for these amateurs from electronics. All they did was set themselves up for another slam-dunk. They were up against an pro. "Ford offered too many distractions...going to meeting, being mentors to people...It's more important to pay attention to the car. Every time you don't, something goes wrong. People get caught up with all of this other, what I call frivolous stuff. Like, going to seminars to hear about what's going on with the 1998 steering column, and going to luncheon meeting to find out what truck operations is doing on some other thing. People lose their focus, they lose their ability to remember what it is they're supposed to go do, so they dissipate their efforts in a lot of interesting and perhaps even valuable sorts of things, but they're not critical to what they're really trying to accomplish." Landgraff "Suppliers...we have to take away all the excuses." Landgraff letter to Lear Seat president: "You've got to get a guy with real responsibility for the success of the business, you've got to make is clear yo

Even non-car people will love this book

I picked this book up and couldn't put it down, I'm not even really interested in the process of designing and producing an automobile. The writing style is fun, and while a bit simple it is highly engaging. A nice departure from the facts, figures and bone dry writing I would have expected. Kristina OsbornAcquisitionsColumbus College of Art and Design, Packard Library

An excellent review of how Ford brings a car to market

Car. A wonderfully detailed account of the development of an American car. The book captures the drama of the people involved in the styling, design, production, marketing, and sale of America's best selling car. Mary Walton did an excellent job of capturing a behind the scenes chronological portrayal of how Ford Motor Co. brings a car to market. Details such as how Ford vice-presidents intervened and decide where to locate the outside rear view mirrors on the Taurus are included. From organizational restructuring to lavish parties and media events, it's all here. This book is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the automobile industry.

Displays a face of the Giant with a hundred faces...

The reviews done by the readers are quite split into two - excellent, good to worse. A marketing expert once said that getting radical reviews was the sign of a successful product. And it seems.Though Mary Walton is not a car-mania or does'nt seem to have much knowledge of cars before she wrote this book, her basic knowledge of it gives the reader an easy to read, comprehensive report on one of the key players in the industry which still effects the most on the global economy, the car industry. As I try reading other books that took simular approaches to GM - 'All Corevette are Red'- and Chrysler -'The Critical Path' - written by car experts, the tone of it were like hearing an engineering lecture. I still fall asleep while trying to go over a few pages of it...And I am a student of engineering! I never did that when I read 'CAR'. Must be like one of those lectures at Harvard - The author's alma mater - that's so good the students rise and applause at the last class.Written like a movie scenario, sometimes painful for those concerned, but refreshing for those who wants the 'Veritas', the truth of what is going about in the massive car industries, one will surely feel from the first page to the closing moment as walking through the highly restricted design studios to the heat emitting machines of the factory to the fancy lights of motor shows, and finally the showroom.This book has it all, unless you are a high ranking person of a car company.So if you are wondering what book to read on cars, just get 'CAR'.

A Fascinating Look for Interested Outsiders...et al.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in technology, engineering, manufacturing, design, etc. Or, for the non- technical, if you are considering working for a mammoth-sized company such as Ford, or simply have an interest in the automotive industry, this book provides tremendous insight. It is truly fascinating to learn of the scale on which things get done to make a car. It also becomes apparent why Ford, and perhaps other domestic auto companies, seem to fall behind in what the market demands. The DN101 team focused on, and aspired to beat a 1992 Toyota in their 1996 model year car. There are huge lessons in this book for anyone in business. While some have accused Mary Walton of focusing on the controversy, I think she portrayed the reality of such an undertaking, good and bad.