I have always said compare where Hyundai was when it had the Pony here in the late 80s compared to GM at the time. Hyundai quality shot up from there while GM languished on improvements for more than 20 years, compare a 1975 vette or impala or Pontiac to those built in the early 90s, very little product improvement.

Big corporations that preach Do More With Less can only cut costs for so long. Even when you are the cheapest, you cant survive without some level of acceptable quality, ie. the original Pony or the Lada.