[Big Dave]

Up until about 27 months ago, the big SUVs sold like hotcakes and they couldn't give away little cars. Price of gas went up and the sales pattern reversed. Seen it before. 1973, 1979. Now gas is coming back down and the Priuses stack up on the lots, too.

The auto industry is nearly as cyclical as oil. Billy Durant made, lost, regained, and lost GM in an eleven year period of boom and bust - nearly a hundred years ago.

I think everyone tries to oversimplify the problem as "GM didn't make little cars." Back in the early 70s Honda were archetypal "cheap Japanese junk." The mid-70s Vega was a lot better car than the Hondas of the day.