Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us

[Nodz]

Heads Up, on BBC 2 after TG on Sunday.

DURATION: 1 HOUR
Documentary examining Germany's economic power and the automobile industry at the heart of it. Across the world, the badges of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes inspire immediate awe.

Even in Britain, where memories of Second World War run deep, we can't resist the appeal of a German car. By contrast, our own industry is a shadow of its former self.

Historian Dominic Sandbrook asks what it is we got wrong, and what the Germans got so right

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03866cj

Article about it, in which they talk about the Golf:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23406467

[Kregiel]

part of the success story is in history! German despite the fact that they lost the war were allowed to keep their military factories which were the basis for automobile industry, USA helped financially GErmans based on Marshall plans as USA was afraid of Russia or USSR at this stage.

I would risk a statement that any country would do as well as Germans given the circumstances

Paul 

[Greeners]

Thanks for the heads up! 

[Poverty]

part of the success story is in history! German despite the fact that they lost the war were allowed to keep their military factories which were the basis for automobile industry, USA helped financially GErmans based on Marshall plans as USA was afraid of Russia or USSR at this stage.

I would risk a statement that any country would do as well as Germans given the circumstances

Paul 

I dont agree, german mindset and society is drastically different to that of brits

[Kregiel]

I dont agree, german mindset and society is drastically different to that of brits
[/quote]

The mindset is pretty much subjective and more relates to a person than a nation I would think.  I am none of the above nationalities...

History is objective though

Paul

[Poverty]

Money doesn't buy success or a thriving manufacturing sector.

If you look thought the German way and attitude when it comes to engineering, architecture and even the blue collar industry as a whole you will see their working practices and beliefs are totally different to that of say the UK.

It's not because of some money in the 40's and 50's that to this day the Germans are better than the Brits when it comes to pretty much anything engineering related. Albeit we are pretty good at making race cars.

In England we celebrate office monkey pen pushers and blue collared workers are deemed to be "inferior" in this country.
I'm Germany it's celebrated.

No wonder our economy is built around those tossers in the banking sector...

[tony_danza]

In Germany even builders are fully qualified professionals, educated to degree standard. You can't just set up a cowboy outfit like here, and it's probably why there's a lot more respect for people doing this kind of work.

A lot of the money the UUSR/USA/UK pumped into Germany was for entirely selfish reasons, to 'pay back' the debts they'd built up being at war. It's well know the British nurtured VW, thanks to Maj Ivan Hirst.

The original intention was to scrap the factory and use the proceeds as war reparations. But Hirst found a pre-war prototype Volkswagen in a remote workshop on the site and realised that the factory could be used for producing cars for the British Army. Hence, Hirst and Radclyffe laid the foundations for Volkswagen's successful automotive business.
Much of the machinery had survived the bombing, having been stored in various outbuildings. Cars were put together with old-stock and whatever could be found, many using parts from the Kübelwagen until 1946, when the factory produced about 1000 cars a month.

[Andy]

watching it now

[Deako]

Jezza had a bit of a rant on Twitter about this show being broadcast after the fantastic piece of film that they showed at the end of Top Gear showcasing British engineering.

[Andy]

think a lot of respect stems from ww2 with the machinery  they hay that out classed ours..

[dmac1969]

I watched it and enjoyed it , however nothing was mentioned about the Japanese invasion , I would wager it was Japanese imports that done for the British motor industry more so than the Germans , especially as most people couldnt afford a BMW or Audi , Mercedes or Porsche - only really a VW -  and it was before PCPs and easy finance.

  As for Top Gear I found it strange they didnt mention Vauxhall at all , the Astra is produced in Elsmere Port and the Vivaro in Luton , also no mention of MG Motor UK at Longbridge , I know those cars are nominally built in China but they do enough in Longbridge to qualify the cars for a UK Built marker on the VIN. (I did notice on Das Auto , they said that MG Rover was Chinese , alas MG Rover died in 2005 along with most of the Longbridge plant and 6000 jobs)