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Originally Posted by DieselAddict
Minority driving guzzlers?? Last time I checked trucks and SUV's were outselling sedans in this country, at least a few years ago they were. I couldn't disagree with you more. The reason we have so little choice in fuel-efficient vehicles is that for a long time until recently we had very cheap gas and many Americans just pigged out and got themselves the biggest $hitbox they could fit in their driveway. The Big 3 were only satisfying that fetish which thankfully is finally starting to recede, thanks to higher oil prices.
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In '06, no SUVs were in the top ten in sales. 4 were pickups. The Big 3 do not/are not satisfying fetishes. They create them, and they create lower costs and incentives to buy through government.
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Originally Posted by aklim
Depends. If supply exceeds demand, you are going to have to lower the price.
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If you think ANWAR supply is going to dent demand, you're crazy.
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IF the Big 2.5 can offer a car that gets 20 mpg and another that offers 30 mpg, do you think anyone will buy the 20 mpg one? HOWEVER, for that to happen, all things have to be equal. IOW, if MB offered me a E320 CDI that gets 20 mpg and an E320 CDI that gets me 30 mpg, I'd be all over the latter. UNLESS there is a price difference. Then the equation gets more murky. Yes, the Big 2.5 can make anything you want. However, the problem is that you won't buy it at that price.
You got a choice. If you don't show them that you want a more fuel efficient vehicle by doing more than flapping your gums, they will take note. They would be making more pink trucks if those would sell to more than Mary Kay people.
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Three quick examples. The SUV exists because fuel efficiency standards were enacted for cars in the 70s. Since Detroit's biggest profit came from pick ups, trucks were exempted. Since trucks were exempted, the SUV was classified a truck (this included Jeep CJ5 and CJ7s, the model most of Ford's SUVs were based off of). Oh and guess what? there was a 25% tarriff on foreign trucks.
There is currently a tax credit for businesses for buying large, gas guzzling vehicles. Who makes large gas guzzling vehicles? The Big 3.
Government agencies are bound to buy fleet cars from American manufacturers.
There's even a book about the Big 3/Gov relationship
http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521631734