 
December 24, 2008 - AD PARODY: BAILOUTS ARE FOR SUCKERS: Our favorite ad parody of the week reads as follows: "You wouldn't buy our sh---- cars . So we'll be taking your money anyway. The Bailout. Coming this January." Although it is done tongue in cheek, there's more a grain of truth here. This painfully on-target ad continues: " You probably thought it was smart to buy a foreign import of superior quality, with better mileage and resale value. Maybe you even thought that years of market share loss might prod us into rethinking our process and redesigning our products with better quality in mind. But you forgot one thing: We spend a sh-load of money on lobbyists. So now you're out $25 billion, plus the cost of your Subaru. Maybe next time you'll buy American like a real man. Either way, we're cool." Ouch! ... A recent article from Business Week makes some interesting points on "what the taxpayer should know about the U.S. auto industry now that they own it." One in particular we agree with is that Detroit may have "created many of their own problems through short-sighted management, but they had plenty of help from Congress." We've pointed out before that CAFE standards were rigged to favor SUVs and Congress could have taken steps long ago to rectify this. And we will recognize that Ford took steps to not have to dip into bailout funds yet - they seem to be making a valiant attempt to commit themselves to a greener future. For now, GM and Chrysler are the ones who will be relying on taxpayer loans to keep afloat. Maybe the taxpayers who now have such a vested interest in U.S. car companies will have a better year in 2009. One can only hope! ....
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December 19, 2008 - U.S. PAYS THE PRICE FOR LAGGING BEHIND WORLD ON FUEL ECONOMY GOALS: Although the news that U.S. automakers are idling their factories comes at an already tough financial time, is this outcome really such a big surprise? American automakers have continued to make cars "that are increasingly irrelevant to the needs of the rest of the world," as EcoWordly recently put it. And the U.S. fuel economy target announced last year of 35 mpg by 2020 (12 years in the future) is about where Europe already was - 34.4 mpg - last year in 2007. We've said it before and we'll say it again: If both the U.S. government and industry had been more forward thinking years ago, the current dire straits in Detroit probably would not exist ... If direct fuel injection has been around for several years and was known to have significant fuel economy benefits, we wonder why it is only now starting to come into mainstream use. We've been asking for a while why existing fuel economy technologies haven't been put into to use more widely but still haven't had a good answer. In any case, it looks like GM will be reaping some benefits of the technology with some 2010 models, as will Ford ... And from the annals of "we couldn't have said it better ourselves" - although we actually have made similar statements before - a St. Petersburg Times correspondent notes: "Detroit helped dig its own hole by failing to listen to the rising tide of voices warning that dependence on oil was bad for the economy, bad for the planet and bad for our lungs. Just as with cigarettes, oil became an addiction we just couldn't seem to shake off, despite all the mounting science out there. Now reality bites. After their first dismal visit to Congress was lampooned on Saturday Night Live, the Big Three experienced a collective epiphany. When they returned this month they were suddenly talking about a major overhaul of their business plans. In a double irony, the car companies went begging for a bailout. But it was too late." ...
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Automakers need to understand that Americans want the most
fuel-efficient possible cars using the best available technology. Here is
where you can get involved to make that happen ...
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40 miles per gallon is not a dream. The technology exists today! You could be driving a vehicle that would save you money, make America safer and cut down on pollution ...
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Pam Solo, the president of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute, which created the 40mpg.org campaign, welcomes you! ...
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If you already are doing 40 mpg or better, we
want to hear your story...
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Save
money ... use less gasoline from Middle Eastern oil ... cut tailpipe fumes ... NOW!
