When Datsun became Nissan... and Why!
If you're old enough, you'll remember the Datsun name. but then, in 1981, the Datsun name slowly disappeared and Nissan took it's place.
The story behind it is long and fascinating!

#ACwJ #jeep #comanche
Small trucks dominated the 80's and finally Jeep launched the Comanche! Based on the Cherokee, it was capable but after Chrysler's takeover of AMC it became another vicitm and disappeared after 1992. This is the far too brief history of the Jeep Comanche!

Back in the 1950s, Goodyear's polymer researchers created a new plastic/rubber - Neothane. Easy to manufacture, it had the benefit of being translucent. Goodyear got excited, creating colored tires lit by lightbulbs inside and predicting tires that could color-match the car, it's interior, or even be quickly changed out to coordinate with your wife's dress. But the material was critically flawed and Goodyear's engineers couldn't overcome the material's weaknesses. After about 10 years later, they quietly cancelled the project and it doesn't even get a mention on their website.

In the Late 1980s GM hatched on a great idea - create a sub-brand within Chevrolet comprised of imported cars built by others, but distributed and backed by the awesome Chevy dealership network. Thus, GEO was born, and the experiment only lasted for 8 years, but the story starts in the early 80s and the models continued for years afterwards. Today, some models are respected, some widely ridiculed, but overall the brand is forgotten. This is a Far Too Brief History of GEO.

When Chrysler bought the troubled AMC from the also troubled Renault in 1988, one quirk was a brand new sedan and a contractual obligation to use nearly 300,000 Renault engines. Chrysler rebranded their AMC dealers as Jeep-Eagle dealerships, combining the off road jeeps with a hodge-podge collection of badge engineered imports. 10 years later, the division was closed down, only having ever released ONE made-for-Eagle car... the Vision.

International Harvester was a giant conglomerate once bigger than GM, Ford, and GE. While they made their name in heavy trucks and agricultural machinery, for consumers they're most famous for the short-lived Scout.
Today we'll look at the history of International, some of their divisions (they made refridgerators!), the history of their light trucks and the Scout, their downfall, and how VW came to own the Scout name and be able to launch it as a new EV!

The Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon debuted in 1978 and continued, largely unchanged, for 13 model years, while spinning off multiple variants including the Charger, Rampage, and Shelby GLH-S's. Unheralded, they challenged the famous K Cars for sales, and are directly responsible for Chrysler earning the government backed loans that saved them from bankruptcy.

In 1981 the Ford Escort debuted in the US and went on to be a sales success through the 80s, being the single best selling car 3 different times. Through 3 generations it lasted until being unceremoniously left to die and replaced with the Focus.
But it's story actually starts in the UK back in the 50s, and it didn't end with cancellation as it was launched in China!

Struggling from Bankruptcy Dodge once again created a new market for themselves with the midsized truck - the Dodge Dakota. It's story starts long before that, but through 3 distinct generations the Dakota offered near full-sized capabilities in a more manageable size. Ultimately cancelled, Dodge, now RAM, finds itself without a competitor in that market segment.

Walter Chrysler's grandson wrote a letter to Carlos Tavares asking him to consider selling Chrysler.  Stellantis replied with a statement that none of the 14 brands are for sale.
But here is my modest proposal to Tavares asking him to reconsider - for the Brands, the workers, the Country, and the Customers.