Maybe, but in '81 Haggard sings "I wish Fords and Chevies still lasted 10 years" like we'd lost some piece of American greatness. I gather this implies imports had begun to eclipse domestic cars, at least in public perception. Not the main point though
Today, there's a whole political movement built around that same "stolen future" narrative. But the idea you could have an adult car company in 2025 whose sedans crap out at 10 yrs is unthinkable. Fords and Chevies are much better than in the now idealized past, when ppl were still complaining
About the same stuff. In fact, every car is better now, which is why F and C haven't recovered their prestige