Customer Reviews

Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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...

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.

This is one of the best books available about the evolution of the U.S. and European auto industries over the last 65 years. The author clearly believes in the great man theory of history. He writes an insightful history of the industry by analyzing the impact of six men on the companies they worked for and led. He tells both their personal stories and how their presence or absence at key points helped or hurt their companies.

The author was an editor at Automotive News in the U.S. and Europe and had an excellent vantage point to watch, interview, and write about the people and events in the book. General Motors appears only very late in the story when Bob Lutz joined GM to try to help Rick Wagner pull it out of a decades long tailspin. This suggests that GM was lead by a succession of weak leaders who couldn't overcome a stifling corporate culture that led to its eventual bankruptcy. Toyota is also a fringe player in the story for reasons that are less clear.

This book is a great start for anyone trying to understand the contemporary auto industry and its place in the world economy. I encourage readers to seek out information on William (Billy) Durant, Ferdinand Porsche, The Whiz Kids by John Byrne, and, in particular, Alfred P. Sloan [My Years with General Motors] to understand the underpinnings of these leaders.

This is a "Must Read" for anyone who has an interest in how the cars we are able to buy get to market, or for that mater, anyone interested in corporate politics and leadership. The personalities of the top decession makers are reflected in the products and philosophy of the companies that they run. Should be manditory reading for business majors.
Six Men Who Built The Modern Auto Industry

this is a real good book. there are more chapters about some of the people than others but everything is very detailed. sometimes it tends to jump around but overall was hard to stop reading.

Never did recieve the book I ordered! They were sure quick to take my money, but now this is the 4th time I've tried to contact them about not recieving it & no one will reply!