Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
Big rigs are commercial vehicles.They are to MAKE money.All truck owners are interested in MPG as it directly impacts profit/loss,and so there is competition within the market to deliver a product with commercial advantage.There still remains some "gentleman's agreement" witholding of technology to protect competition and bolster the used truck market.Bankers hate innovation!---------------------------------- Automobiles are designed to go out of style and enrich governments,oil industry,and parts,labor,insurance,pension funds,labor unions,collision repair,chambers of commerce,etc.,and keep the US at war.---------------------- Since "economy" cars constitute only about 2% of new car sales,nobody really gives a flying --ck about them.Sure,we could of had 80-mpg cars in 1992,but why would we? It would cut into the retirement benefits of retired Texas kindergarten teachers.As long as soldiers are cheaper than foreign oil,we continue to kill for it.To hell with fuel economy.(Big flag wave).
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If an auto company manufactures cars (or does anything else) to enrich anyone other than the shareholders IN THAT COMPANY, they will be sued. So where is the cash flow to GM from the government (ok, I'll give you that one), the oil industry, parts manufacturers, labor, insurance companies, pension funds, .... etc.? The institutional shareholders (representing, no doubt, the retired Texas kindergarten teachers) constrain GM, Ford, and any other U.S. automaker (or automaker that trades its stock in the U.S.) from doing anything other than that which is perceived to maximize next quarter's net income.