Most American cars are designed in Michigan, not regarded as the bastion of creative imagination and cosmopolitan influence in America. And the cars reflect those middle American values. Those upper level designers and managers in charge hire and promote underlings who have the same aesthetics and values. Those values have shaped how domestic cars handle, ride and look - roominess, soft ride, plushy comfort, basic finishes, clumsy detailing and practicality. They have improved from the 70's and 80's but they still retain their heartland and middle American appeal. That is who they design for - fat people with no taste who live in the Midwest because those are the folks who buy their cars.
That unfortunately doesn't work when you are selling internationally and to the large more sophisticated California market. Foreign car companies like Nissan, Porsche, VW and Toyota understand this and have design studios in LA where designs reflect more accurately the tastes of their markets. That is why their cars look and perform the way they do and why Detroit's look and ride the way they do. At the end of the day in the design profession it is usually what the boss or his wife likes what gets built. If the car is a hit he'll take all the credit and if it bombs it'll be a finger pointing exercise at the designers. The boss will get another project and mediocrity will perpetuate mediocrity, mediocrity will hire mediocrity, mediocrity will design mediocrity, and mediocrity will manufacture mediocrity, the American auto industry in a nutshell.
That unfortunately doesn't work when you are selling internationally and to the large more sophisticated California market. Foreign car companies like Nissan, Porsche, VW and Toyota understand this and have design studios in LA where designs reflect more accurately the tastes of their markets. That is why their cars look and perform the way they do and why Detroit's look and ride the way they do. At the end of the day in the design profession it is usually what the boss or his wife likes what gets built. If the car is a hit he'll take all the credit and if it bombs it'll be a finger pointing exercise at the designers. The boss will get another project and mediocrity will perpetuate mediocrity, mediocrity will hire mediocrity, mediocrity will design mediocrity, and mediocrity will manufacture mediocrity, the American auto industry in a nutshell.