Japan did a fair bit of industrial policy to boost manufacturing in key industries (like cars), but what’s going on in China is a very different beast. Chinese industry today stands on the shoulders of decades of protectionism, direct state intervention, and intellectual property theft.

You have to warm up your car before driving

Nope, not unless you have a really old car, this one has just stuck around. Yes, you should let it warm up before you drive it hard so just get in and drive and that will warm it up, then you can send it

US had the same problem when Japanese cars came in and ate their small car lunch. It took until the early 00's for US small car making quality to be on par with Japanese ones and many would argue are STILL not on par.

One of the biggest lies in high school history books is that we Practice Laisse Faire capitalism. Companies that are “important to America” get special treatment and always have. We wouldn’t have won our independence from the British without DuPont, and DuPont is still on an unofficial “most favored company” list and…

GMC trucks were stamped out of thicker steel than Chevy trucks.

Yeah VW never did anything illegal to pad the shareholders’ pockets. I must have imagined that whole scandal and all those people going to jail. 

Speeding is dangerous. ... Nope.

Yeap. If you want proof, compare the rates of a Mustang (2+2) to a Miata. The Miata is much cheaper to insure.

That was invented by dads who really just wanted to concentrate on the road.

Turns out that everyone loves a free market right up until a bigger fish comes to eat more of the market.

US automakers have spent decades setting the stage for cheap imports by cutting back further and further on entry-level models. They could do a lot to undercut the threat of Chinese imports by putting out some cheap cars themselves. 

A secondary myth of Horsepower.

Everyone has probably heard some variation of the unknown scientist, who in the mid-20th century, invented a magic carburetor which allowed vehicles to get 100+ MPG but was either silenced or murdered through some shadowy plot carried out by the big oil and automotive companies.

1) loud pipes save lives

Older cars are safer, because they built them “better in the old days.”

I need a three row 6000 pound SUV because I have a kid and a dog.

“Bigger cars are safer”

“The +2 seats are to bring down insurance rates.”

This is no longer as prevalent as it once was, but I used to hear people say they wouldn’t wear their seatbelt because it could trap them in case of a crash and they’d be safer without it.

The myth that everyone is an above average driver.