Guardian: The car was the 20th century’s symbol of prosperity. When the Germans wanted a catch-all term for America’s roaring 20s, they often plumped for Fordismus. America’s most recent bubble even had its own dedicated auto, the sports utility vehicle. Even now, the surest sign that a developing country has started making money is the length of its traffic jams. The flip side is that when the good times end, the car industry hits the buffers. That was true in the 70s and it certainly holds now. …