Are American Auto Makers Deaf, Dumb and Blind
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Recently Edmunds.com published a story about the top 10 most efficient 4-door cars available, based on EPA fuel economy numbers and guess what? Not one car from an American manufacturer made the list! With gas prices on the never-ending rise, they still pump out SUV after SUV. In addition, they pump out trucks that are miserable on gas mileage, I know; I own a Dodge Ram. It is apparently clear that foreign automakers understand the current state of affairs and the pulse of the car-buying world.
Do American car companies just not care about what we consumers want?
There are a couple of domestic hybrids out there, such as the Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Chevy Silverado. But these are SUVs not cars. What, do they not care or are they just so arrogant that they think we will keep supporting them as is? Everyday we hear support America. Well come on Detroit, give us something to support. My Ford Taurus was a mess, so bad I gave it away. My Toyota Sienna is a dream. Runs great, gets great gas mileage and has a company that provides great service behind it. The only reason the Japanese have a stranglehold on the hybrid car market is because the American manufacturers just don't seem to care. Oh yes, the Chevy Malibu Hybrid debuts this year. Yippie, but wait, the Malibu Hybrid will get only 27 MPG average. That is absolutely hilarious. My friend's Nissan Sentra, which is 9 years old, tops that number; it gets 31 MPG. My Hyundai Elantra, which is 7 years old, gets 36 MPG. Ford, forget about it, nothing, zip, no hybrid cars, just the Escape hybrid SUV, which gets 32 MPG. So 9 out of the 10 most fuel-efficient sedans come from Japanese auto makers. The tenth comes from Kia. Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai. Of course the reigning champions are still the Civic hybrid, the Prius hybrid, and the Camry hybrid and the most interesting thing is that 6 of the 10 most fuel-efficient 4-door cars are not hybrids at all. They are small gasoline powered cars, such as the Corolla.
So what is it Detroit. Are you deaf, dumb and blind or just arrogant? Your call.
The US automakers are not deaf, dumb, or blind...just not capable of learning from history as long as there is money to be made. In order for any invention or new process to be accepted, it must meet social, economic, and political needs. The technology exists to make alternative fuel vehicles or increase public transportation, but the three triggers have not yet been pulled. I would love to have a car that used an environmentally friendly and locally available cheap fuel source. I am just not ready to pay $100,000 or more for such a car.
I live in Germany where a gallon of gas is about $10.50 with today's Euro exchange rate. While there are lots of cars on the Autobahns, a large amount of the population relies on public transportation because it is more economical than car ownership. The Europeans include public transportation infrastructure in any urban development project and shopping centers and living areas are connected by a bus, street car, or train. The compactness of the European countries makes this easier to accomplish, but the high cost of personal transportation makes this a necessity.
I routinely travel between two large metropolitan areas. If I drive, the cost for my trip is about $180 in gas (not including the wear and tear on me and the car) and could take between four to ten hours for the round trip, depending on traffic. The advantage to driving is I determine my schedule and have a point-to-point mode of transportation. The disadvantage is the high cost of car ownership.
If I take the train, the ticket costs about $85 for the round trip and always takes four hours. The advantage is I am free to read, sleep, listen to my iPod, or visit the dining car during the trip. The disadvantage is I must work within the train schedule and rely on my feet, but fortunately there are LOTS of trains available during the day and I am not locked into a specific train. I can walk to the train station at both ends of my journey and not worry about traffic.
Given the choice of unlimited freedom of movement or economical transportation, the train wins every time.
As long as customers are willing to buy the large vehicles and pay the increasing costs for gas, there is little incentive for Detroit to change. The late David Halberstam wrote about Detroit's complacency and unwillingness to adapt to the changing environment in "The Reckoning." Halberstam describes the post-war increase in Japanese and European car development and the trend to fuel efficiency. Unfortunately, this was wasted on Detroit until it was driven home during the "fuel crisis" of the 70s. It appears that Detroit is still slow and is letting the overseas markets dominate the industry...again.
On second thought, I think Detroit is deaf, dumb, blind, and arrogant.
Posted by MikeK
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