Description

Once Upon a Car is the brilliantly reported, inside-the-boardrooms-and-factories story of Detroit's fight for survival, going beyond the headlines to chronicle how the country's Big Three auto companies teetered on the brink of collapse and pulled themselves together under new leadership at Ford and government assistance to General Motors and Chrysler.

In this riveting true account of an iconic industry in crisis, Bill Vlasic takes readers from the gleaming corporate skyscrapers, massive auto plants, and union halls to the U.S. Congress and into the Oval Office, introducing a cast of memorable characters, many of whom are speaking out for the first time.Once Upon a Caris a uniquely American tale of success, failure, and redemption, chronicling a vitally important chapter in an astonishing story that is still unfolding—a story no one is more qualified to tell than Bill Vlasic.

About the Author

An award-winning business reporter with more than fifteen years of experience specializing in the automotive industry, Bill Vlasic is currently the Detroit bureau chief for the New York Times. The coauthor of Taken for a Ride, Vlasic is a winner of the Gerald Loeb Award for excellence in financial journalism and has been recognized for his reporting and investigative journalism by the Associated Press and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

Praise For…

“Essential account of the United States auto industry.” — New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

“Compelling... a human approach to an industry that couldn’t be less human in scale... entertaining.” — Wall Street Journal

“The book is extraordinary. Vlasic offers what will probably become the definitive retelling of the crisis that nearly felled America’s three carmaking icons.” — Financial Times

“Once Upon a Car is the best book on the whole shebang that you are ever going to read... a critical history.” — Huffington Post

“With almost anthropological precision, Once Upon a Car is a thorough and compelling account of the collapse of the domestic auto industry” — Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A deeply reported, full-on narrative in the style of Barbarians at the Gate or Game Change.” — Chicago Tribune

“Even with all the ink spilled on Detroit lately, Vlasic’s tale is as fresh as a new car… Vlasic says he wanted to write a fast-paced narrative, and he’s penned a page-turner in Once Upon a Car” — Fortune.com

“Vlasic delivers a devastating account of auto industry arrogance, ignorance, and tragedy.” — Publishers Weekly

“Terrific... better than most novels... truly fascinating.” — Free Lance Star Virginia

“Vlasic enriches his journalistic attention to detail with the drama and pacing of a thriller.” — 800ceoRead

“Vlasic is a master storyteller whose prowess makes the absorption of many complex facts painless.” — strategy-business.com