In the 1960s, an average car cost about $2,752, and a gallon of gasoline cost about 31 cents. During the 1960s, with the rise of the economy, muscle, and pony cars, automobiles were part of a distinct decade of the automobile history.
In the 1960s, the American automobile industry was consolidated into three large manufacturers: General Motors, FordChrysler, and American Motors. With the sales of the 1960s cars, these companies dominated the domestic market and the global one. American companies-built 93 percent of the autos sold in the United States and 48 percent of the world’s autos in 1960.
Nevertheless, starting in the mid-1950s, imports began to make small inroads into the wealthy American market, led by Volkswagen and soon followed by Fiat, Renault, Datsun (Nissan), and Hillman. Detroit was disturbed by the increasing presence of imports and responded with its own small 1960s cars. Ford produced the Falcon, while GM produced the Corvair.
