Editing 1990s (section)

====Automobiles====
<!-- Commented out: [[File:Gm-impact.jpg|thumb|right|The [[General Motors EV1]], sold during this decade, It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker, and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset.]] -->

The 1990s began with a [[recession]] that dampened car sales. [[General Motors]] suffered huge losses because of an inefficient structure, stale designs, and poor quality. Sales improved with the economy by the mid-1990s, but GM's US market share gradually declined to less than 40% (from a peak of 50% in the 1970s). While the new [[Saturn Corporation|Saturn]] division fared well, [[Oldsmobile]] fell sharply, and attempts to remake the division as a European-style luxury car were unsuccessful.

Cars in the 1990s had a rounder, more streamlined shape than those from the 1970s and 1980s; this style would continue early into the 2000s and to a lesser extent later on.

[[Chrysler]] ran into financial troubles as it entered the 1990s. Like GM, the Chrysler too had a stale model lineup (except for the best-selling [[Chrysler minivans|minivans]]) that were largely based on the aging [[Chrysler K platform|K-car platform]]. In 1992, chairman [[Lee Iacocca]] retired, and the company began a remarkable revival, introducing the new [[Chrysler LH platform|LH platform]] and "Cab-Forward" styling, along with a highly successful redesign of the full-sized [[Dodge Ram]] in 1994. Chrysler's minivans continued to dominate the market despite increasing competition. In 1998, [[Daimler-Benz]] (the parent company of [[Mercedes-Benz]]) merged with Chrysler. The following year, it was decided to retire [[Plymouth (automobile)|Plymouth]], which had been on a long decline since the 1970s. [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] continued to fare well in the 1990s, with the [[Ford Taurus (second generation)|second]] and [[Ford Taurus (third generation)|third]] generations of the [[Ford Taurus]] being named the best-selling car in the United States from 1992 to 1996. However, the Taurus would be outsold and dethroned by the [[Toyota Camry]] starting in 1997, which became the best-selling car in the United States for the rest of the decade and into the 2000s. Ford also introduced the Ford Explorer, with the first model being sold in 1991. Ford's Explorer became the best-selling SUV on the market, outselling both the Chevy Blazer and Jeep Cherokee.

Japanese cars continued to be highly successful during the decade. The [[Honda Accord]] vied with the Taurus most years for being the best-selling car in the United States during the early decade. Although launched in 1989, the luxury brands [[Lexus]] and [[Infiniti]] began car sales of 1990 model year vehicles and saw great success. Lexus would go on to outsell Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the United States by 1991 and outsell Cadillac and Lincoln by the end of the decade. SUVs and trucks became hugely popular during the economic boom in the decade's second half. Many manufacturers that had never built a truck before started selling SUVs. Fabrication during the 1990s became gradually rounder and ovoid, the [[Ford Taurus (third generation)|Ford Taurus]] and [[Mercury Sable]] being some of the more extreme examples. Safety features such as [[airbags]] and shoulder belts became mandatory equipment on new cars.