Drill Our Way Out!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by nowhhs

It seems to me that this is one of the major problems we're facing. Manufacturers are giving "us" what we want.

As I keep trying to point out, this is far from being the case. It's just part of Detroit's advertising/propaganda. If the US automakers were in fact giving "us" what we want, they wouldn't have been losing market share to the Japanese & Koreans for so many years. They have had a segment of the market, but as the vehicles they built kept getting bigger, their segment kept shrinking.

Or to put it another way: if you had a time machine, and could go back 25 years, which would you invest money in: the Detroit 3, or Honda & Toyota?

[nowhhs]

I didn't say anything about U.S. manufacturers. I said and meant manufacturers in general. I agree that Detroit has been out of touch since 1970, but that wasn't my point. Look at the direction Toyota has taken lately. A few years ago they decided that small trucks wasn't where the money is anymore and started trying to compete in the large pick-up segment. I see more ads for their big truck, whatever its called, than any of their cars. And Honda with their Ridgeline? They have learned the lesson "build it bigger and we will buy". Every vehicle those two manufacturers have built is larger than in previous years. The civic finally got so big that they had to come up with the Fit to fill the void, and its still larger than my 90 civic. Note I said larger, not heavier, I know that some of the weight is attributable to safety equipment. That doesn't explain the steady increase in size over the years, the only thing that does is the American consumers desire for BIGGER.

[bbjsw10]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Or to put it another way: if you had a time machine, and could go back 25 years, which would you invest money in: the Detroit 3, or Honda & Toyota?

If I had a time machine I would go to the future and bring it back. All the technologies everyone wants for alternate fuels. Man I wish I had a time machine, with 20's.