Reply #76: In general, putting the bottom line ahead of everything, including safety and innovation

[MadHound]

For instance, seat belts, ordinary lap belts, weren't put in as standard equipment for years and decades because it was thought they would eat into the bottom line. The Tucker, an innovative American brand, was killed by the Big 3 because they didn't want to compete with the innovations, some of which are just now being introduced fifty years later(the rotating headlight being an example of this). They consistently skimp on parts to beef up the bottom line. The Pinto, and later the Crown Vic are prime examples of this. In fact what's really sad in the case of the Pinto is that it was a deliberate calculation, the folks at Ford knew that they were making a dangerous product, but they thought that it would cost less to settle in court with the families than to add a twenty five cent gasket to their vehicle production.

It is this sort of short term, bottom line thinking that has dragged the entire industry to the point where it is now, on the brink of extinction.