Whenever a car marker reaches the zenith of the auto industry, a scandal brings it down. Steve LeVine and Jason Karaian looked at the history and pointed to a reason why:

• GM was top dog for 77 years. Then it grew complacent and stopped producing cars that Americans wanted. It was soon overtaken by Toyota and needed a government bailout.
• Toyota created trends with the Prius. But soon safety concerns about stuck accelerator pads brought the carmaker down.
• Volkswagen grabbed the crown but is now plagued by confirmed accusations about software intended to mislead consumers and government about emission standards.
• Automobile manufacturing is a low margin business.
• To increase market share companies need to cut price, which means cutting costs, and carmakers seem to have done that by cutting corners and skimping on safety and regulatory features.

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Source: Quartz