Old misconceptions recently corrected

Old view: Ford refused to use colors other than black because they wanted conformity (as taught to me in 1970's grade school) or because they wanted economies of scales from using just one paint (as I alternatively theorized in grade school). GM bested Ford because it came up with the brilliant idea of offering consumers different colors.

New view: Ford refused to use colors other than black because black was the quickest to dry, since black absorbs heat. The use of alternate colors could add weeks to the production process. GM came out with alternate colors not because it was brilliant but because, after DuPont and JP Morgan saved GM from bankruptcy, DuPont owned a majority of GM. When DuPont invented a quick-drying paint in 1925, it made it available to GM before it made it available to GM's competitors.