Going from 6 switches for normal driving to 12 switches for more power is exactly like going from 4 cylinders to 8 cylinders and nothing like changing gears.

They also built high quality and fuel efficient vehicles. The big three had neither at that time.

https://cnevpost.com/2025/11/13/ford-to-start-pre-sales-electric-bronco-china-nov-18/   More details in the article about it also

It's just one of those times when one product does basically everything better than the other, which is pretty rare. The bronco looks better, it's more reliable, it's much better around town, it has better tech, it's cooler because we basically just got the bronco back, compared to the wrangler that's been around for decades, and it seems to be better at high speed off-roading. Unless your idea of fun is driving up a rock at half a mile an hour, the bronco is the one to buy.    Our airport rental had a 4 door bronco. Even with the skinny tires, I kinda liked how it looked. Once you throw on wider proper off-road tires, the bronco looks fantastic. I've never felt that way about a wrangler.     

Yes, you are wrong-in the early 1980s the Japanese had an advantage in manufacturing costs and the strength of the yen. They could sell more affordable vehicles and make more profit on them due to the weakness of the Yen at the time.     

It's a designer project. 

It's more like a gearbox than Cylinder deactivation. 

The new Corolla is screaming 1980s to me. 

It looks like its been AI generated    

It's in at Hyundai, and their stuff is looking bizarre, borderline ugly in some cases.  Haven't really seen it elsewhere.   The look pictured didn't do anything for me