Photo journal: Rise and fall of mass production

The first signs that all was not well with Detroit was the 1973 oil crisis, when Middle East producers declared a boycott.

Queues formed at petrol stations, and consumers for the first time switched in large numbers to smaller, more economical cars – often made by the Japanese – which they found more reliable.

The Detroit-made cars had more defects, and Detroit's attempts to build a successful small car failed.