Top 'o the mornin' to ya.
I be in agree-ance with yer idears. (More Pirate than British...whatever.
) On paper, it makes more sense for the American auto industry to simply import some of the smaller foreign cars than to branch out into cheaply made knock-offs. But, given the way they ruined the SMART car's mileage, I don't look forward to this day either.
We screw everything up. I guess it's all about profit margins. We could certainly make a nice effecient vehicle here in the US that could be on par with the foreign machines, but the monetary return, even if it sold well, wouldn't make it worhtwhile.