Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry [Hardcover]

Richard A. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2005

This is the story of six extraordinary men who each built something from nothing, redefined the automotive industry after World War II, and redirected its course for the future: Henry Ford II (visionary autocrat with an iron will), Shoichiro Honda (most successful automotive entrepreneur since Henry Ford I), Eberhard von Kuenheim (founder of the modern BMW), Lee Iacocca, Ferdinand Piech (builder of Volkswagen Group) and Robert Lutz (who left retirement at 70 and is still highly influential at General Motors). What made them special was the sheer volume of fundamental change they brought to the largest industry in the history of the world. They not only re-shaped the auto business, the six made a sizable dent in the societies they lived in. To a man they were great cognitive thinkers. Their minds worked with animal speed, even instinct speed. But more than anything these were brave and cantankerous souls who rode the waves of history. Each could see the future. They could just make it out-sometimes imperfectly, but could see it nonetheless. They took a business that had begun to mature and decline by the 1930s and found ways to make it fresh and whole again.- The compelling story of the global car business over the past half-century.- A lively and engaging narrative that recounts some times collaborative, sometimes archly antagonistic interactions among the men- Full of business revelations at the highest level, written by a journalist operating at the heart of the industry- Global appeal that shows how automotive groups in the USA, Europe and Asia have influenced each other- A business story interlaced with personal details that explains why the six were determined to be successfulAbout the AuthorFor two decades, Richard Johnson has worked for Crain Communications, publisher of the world's leading automotive business publications. Founding editor of Crain's Automotive News Europe, he has been a reporter and editor for the group in Detroit, Tokyo, Frankfurt and London. He is currently a senior editor with Automotive News in Detroit and regularly talks to the most senior executives in the leading car manufacturing groups.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Motor Trend, December 2005 (circ.: 1.1 million)

“You’ll find lots of juicy behind-the-scenes gossip – plus plenty of interesting lore – in Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry.”

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks (May 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760319588
• ISBN-13: 978-0760319581
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Six Men, May 22, 2005

By 

W. Daws (Auburn Hills MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry (Hardcover)

Just finished this book in a day, it was impossible to for me to put down. Johnson takes these six men and outlines their impressive careers and their contributions to the Automotive industry in depth.

His insite into their super sized egos, the struggles they faced as they rose and those they left in their wake is a must read for anyone with a passion for Automotive industry history.

Those interested enough to have read the biographies of Ford, Iacocca, and Lutz will appreciate the way Johnson weaves an intriguing story that connects these individuals and their mentors as they either became or didnt become CEO's of their companies in the US, Europe and Japan.

Although I work in the automotive industry, This book presented me with my first indepth knowledge of Piech, and Von Kuenheim and their dominant influence on the global industry.

Some may wonder why Kiichiro or Eiji Toyoda didnt make the list of the six men. You'll have to read the book! Its apparent that the previous reviewer had not read the book or she would not have been compelled to ask the question why "Toyota" was not one of the six.

If you cant resist the tales of the best and the brightest this book takes you inside boardrooms of the powerhouses of industry over a period of 50 extensively researched years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall Ok..., April 8, 2007

By 

David McGowan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry (Hardcover)

I bought and read this title recently, and was overall satisfied. I was looking forward to sitting down with this book, and was a fast read. I know that repitition is commonly used in poetry to put emphasis on a subject, but in this title there was entirely too much information repeated throughout the chapters, and could have been a bit more informative. There was a consistency of errors throunghout the text also, primarily quotation and punctuation errors, and makes the reader wonder what the editor was paid to do if there even was one. Like I said before the book was good and fast, and once you subtract the set backs the result is still a positive score. Another thing there was no in text citation, or works cited in the book, but the information seemed reliable. If I had $20.00 in my pocket and had the chance to buy it again I think I would have bought it used...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Auto guys must read, February 22, 2008

By 

David - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry (Hardcover)

Excellent coverage and integration of key players in the auto industry.
I enjoyed reading and learning about each of the princible leaders. I would encourage others to give it a read.