The American auto makers are rapidly becoming another casualty of the financial crisis. However, the financial crisis is not the sole reason for their downfall; we need only look to Toyota and other non-American auto makers to see that–while not thriving, these non-American car companies are at least surviving the downturn without any government handouts. [...]

Here is an interesting (though be warned, a bit tongue-in-cheek) case study  of what happened when executives at General Motors in the 1970s were forced to really embrace their brand values by driving (or being chauffeured by) cars from the divisions they worked in. When they all couldn’t have Cadillacs any longer, “fake luxury” took over, and brand lines took on similar upscale features.
It’s very important for executives to know the key values of their company or division and indeed live them. If no effort has been made to recognize the nature of the more deeply held views concerning the organisation, it is common for people slowly to become unaware of the key values that determine their behavior, and, as In this case, you get something as undesirable as “fake luxury.”