[conradpdx]

The battery excuse is just that an excuse. Truth is that the foreign automakers rely upon US automakers to drive their sales. I'm sure you understand that the auto makers directly or indirectly are one of the biggest employers in the country. Honda, Toyota, BMW and most other automakers all got better cars for sale overseas than they sell here in the US. Why do they hold back on the US market? Because they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them.

I'm sure you realize that to the world the Americans are primary considered consumers/customers. If the import companies really let loose with their best cars in the US, it would really put the screws to the US auto industry and all the industries associated with it. Thus hurting their ability to sell those cars.

Look at the world markets through our little economic fall the last few weeks. All of the other countries are getting it worse than us, because when our economy goes bust, theirs just goes away.

I mean come on, Toyota's got a 40 mpg minivan for the asian market. You don't think that'd destroy the US made minivans. There are many examples like this. They purposely hold back their best so they can sell cars. Because if they didn't we wouldn't be able to buy any of them.

And when Honda blames battery tech for holding back it's their way of not revealing that they're holding a royal flush. It's not their style to gloat. And if it means they can make more money in the long run, they'll fold on that hand too.