Quote:
Originally Posted by joesgot4
second part--IS THERE A BIG OIL/BIG CAR CONSPIRACY that keeps them working together to keep mpgs down?
|
Nope. I don't think big oil is involved in any conspiracy, and is generally much less to blame for this than most people (especially those whose politics tilt leftward) would like to think.
It's mostly Detroit's fault, though to call their actions a conspiracy implies some degree of intelligent planning, and their actions have been characterized by short-sighted "how can we make a few bucks more today, and screw tomorrow" thinking. They latched on to the "SUVs are trucks" loophole and got stuck in the "all Americans want big cars" meme, ignoring the obvious fact that a lot of Americans were buying small imports. Sure, they might make $10K profit on an SUV, and only a few hundred on a small car, but a few hundred profit is still profit. They let that market get away from them, and the Japanese & others did quite well off it.