Thoughts from the Curb

Nov 20, 2008 - The Rant: Are There Any Car Guys in Congress or the Media?

I am sick to death of hearing this argument from mass media journalists/pundits and members of Congress.

"The Big Three have found themselves in this financial crisis because they failed to make fuel efficient cars, like hybrids, that people actually wanted to buy."

Wrong. That may be an issue in the here and now, but the Big Three's problems started a long long time ago. It started when Americans started to realize that the Japanese and Germans were making better cars than the crap the American companies were expecting the American public to buy out of brand and national loyalty. Honda made an Accord while Chrysler made a Dodge Spirit. Toyota made the Corolla while Ford made the Tempo and GM made the Cavalier. Hell, go even further back and look at all the American crap from the '80s. I was in pre-school and I knew that stuff sucked.

American automobile loyalty died because the people started to realize other companies were making better cars. I can see the change in my family alone. Sure, we're Canadians, but "domestic" brand loyalty ran just as fierce in the Toronto area, which is home to massive Ford and GM plants. Back in the '80s and early '90s, every extended family member (16 or 18) on both my mother and father's side owned an American car. Today, I can think of four who own American.

That's where this mess began. That's the cause. Sure, producing a Chevy Prius 6 years ago would have been a good move, but they'd still be where they are now. While trucks buoyed them all in the late '90s and early '00s, the car offerings were left to further slip behind imports. New offerings from Ford and GM (not not not Chrysler) are indeed catching up or have caught up, but it may be too late in public perception.

Now, back to the media and congress. Seriously, are there any car people out there who know anything about this topic? I keep hearing "they aren't making fuel efficient or safe cars people actually want to buy." Well, actually they are safe. And in fairness, Americans decided they wanted fuel efficiency two years ago. That's not enough time for an automaker to screech on the brakes and go down a different road.

No, they're in trouble for past crimes that are finally catching up with them. I don't know how you fix that. Perhaps you give them the money and hope they've learned their lesson. Or perhaps you just let them die because they deserve it. I don't know, but I'm not in Congress. Given the level of car knowledge on display, though, perhaps I should be.

-James Riswick

7:48 am | Categories: the rant Permalink | Alert Administrator

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