Politics – Senators reached agreement Thursday on a proposal to increase to 35 miles per gallon, the first significant boost demanded of automakers in nearly 20 years.
> The price will be nasty....
Oh p l e a s e,
hybrid cost what 4k, uses 30% less gas. If mass produced prices likely to drop.
Let repukes cry....
>It won't take much to bring it down.
Ha ha ha. Ford, GM Chevy are Loosers with capital L. Not sure what car they make that I would want?
GM had ev1, it had market. Consumers liked it. So GM killed it. Fine GM make more Hummers, see how long you will be in business. What is more amazing GM asia models looks cool.
Why GM, why are you making that old crap that noone wants?
I'd love for GM to explain the EV1 fiasco.
Toyota grabbed the hybrid technology after GM discarded it and then GM complained when the Prius suddenly became the car to have. I have no pity for management that has absolutely no vision, especially at the pay scale they are at. If you make your bed, you have to expect to sleep in it.
Gas mileage isn't really any better than it was in 1977. It is obvious that the industry needs some *inspiration* to do something about it. They've got 13 years. They should stop complaining and start doing.
And yeah get on the highway with that Prius. 0-60 just 12:16 seconds. Don't believe me?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4qakhL54Z3w&mode=rel...
If offensive language is not your cup of tea. Pause the film and let it fully load. At 6:22 mark is where it begins. But do yourself a favor. Forget about the language of Penn Jillete and watch all 3 segments. Learn something.
And by the way, I am sure that Jillette has the Mini S, get the cheap one. You know the one that you can get for bare min of 18 thousand. And get 40mpg. Top that Prius.
My mom`s Prius gets 50mpg, still, after a year.
That`s the average of the whole year, not just one stretch of highway.
Mom drives her Prius on the highway everyday in traffic, and makes a several hundred mile round trip about once a month. No complaints, in fact, she loves it. I`ve driven it too, I never took notice of a lack of power getting on the highway under normal conditions, but then again, maybe I just concentrate while driving and prepare enough to not need to punch it.
The P&T vid is typical their others, pushing topics they want to, and just leaving out info they don't like.
They compare the Prius to three sports cars for acceleration (1 is a corvette, a 6L V8) when its small hatchback, showing it can't hold luggage for a family of four, you can't fit those items into any small hatchback?
They also went on about Nuclear power and played down the waste issues (which is actually partly correct) but failed to mention that if we ramp up Nuclear we run out of Uranium in ~ 20 years. They should stick to pulling hats out of rabbits!
Not that it's 40mpg, but after redoing the air intake and exsust you can get 30mpg actual on the highway with the overdrive turned on. With a early to mid ninties Mercury Cougar xr7, with the 4.6 v8. I beleave this, because I get 26mpg on the highway with mine after preformance chips (which increase power derease mpg). It was made in 94 has 76,000miles on it and I bought it for $4500. You don't need a four banger to get good mileage. Just keep the weight down. All the computer systems add a lot of weight. Some Lexus's weight well over 5000 lbs. Thats insane I can parralell park myself thanks.
I still think that some cars should be able to be made that wouldnt fit the standard in the rate that they want. Jeeps, Semis and maybe the real Hummer. If you use them as daily vehicles, maybe, but if they are used for what they are made for, they will do a heck alot better than any prius "powerhouse". I have to note that Im a loyal "Jeep" person. I just love that freedom that Jeeps bring to us that dont do horses or even mech-horses!
I believe the standard is an average for car and light truck line ups, same as today. That's why you'll notice that most cars don't get the 27mpg that is required today. It's the little cars at the bottom, the Yaris, the Civic, the Fit, the Cobalt, the Focus, that pull the line up as a whole over the requirement. I don't believe there is a requirement for heavy trucks which is what lets us have our hummers, Escalades, and F-350s.
cars that no one wants?
they still sell more cars than anyone else in america. by A LOT!
their cars arent the problem with their profits, its the deals they made with auto unions. and their attempt to honor their word in keeping factories in america.
they lose billions in american wages, and poorly contracted severence packages.
GM stupidly agreed to pay the employees of closed factories full salary to stay in their home towns and perform community service. thats true. doesnt really sound like a smart business move does it? think that might have something to do with thier profit margin?
and the ev1 wasnt a hybrid. and it wasnt profitable. and it only works if there is a battery plug in every where youre going. and those only exist in california basically. and like 2 per garage.
and the oil industry would pay billions more than the car would ever profit just for GM NOT to offer the technology.
How come the jpns can come in, buy the same factory, hire the same union, and the factory is profitable while quality also goes up?
Only thing different was the US managers.
For a brief starter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI
The ol` bash the union tactic no longer holds water.
im not bashing the union. they made a good deal. im bashing GM. if the union wanted those contracts and it was a deal breaking... well they should have broken the deal. hired a whole new staff.
it was a stupid business move.
and the japanese don't have the same union contracts that GM has. GM has specifically inneficient union contracts with american factory workers.
the factory you mention is still open. the bigger problem is what GM pays them after it closes.
and youre probably right... the US managers im sure have a lot to do with the inefficiencies.
Santa...did they really have a choice on the stupid agreement? I dont think they did becuase the money was coming from most of the plants that were shut down...and that could have trickled down to even more plants.
FOR EVERYONE... How do you know that the Hummer drivers dont pay for Carbon Offsets??? Since Edwards and Clinton can by them for their rich lives...cant others do the same??
are you saying about keeping the rest of the american factories open?
the biggest problem is obviously the severence packages for the closed plants.
Yeah but isn't that the company's' fault? At one point they were riding so high they thought there wouldn't be a problem. They didn't see the competition coming down the road due to their own arrogance. Now they want someone else to pay for it. Meanwhile a company based 3000 miles away had some vision and developed a hybrid. GM is Lazy!
none of my business of course, but my guess is you wouldn't know comfort if it came up behind you and kicked you in the kiester.
I drive an older ('99) Bonneville and the 'rents recently got my brother a new G6 (which I got to break in)
Both of these "cars no one wants" are more comfortable, especially on long highway trips, than any jap-trap I had the misfortune of riding in. They are also faster and have better handling : )
The Model T got 17mpg.
Are you telling me that it takes a century to increase the efficiency of technology? Were it not for the influence of big oil, cars would hover above the roadways by now. Losers with a capital L, in collusion with a capital C.
the model t wasnt designed to handle a 100,000 mile warranty lugging around air bags, a california emissions standard, crumple front end technology, shatter proof glass, reverse tourque wheel bolts, anti-lock disc breaks, a fuel injection, a flame proof gas tank, steel re-inforced side impact rails, seat belts, posi-traction, ... ... ...
oh...
and the model T went 0-60 in about... never.
Another group of senators, including Michigan Democrats Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, have pressed for a less stringent proposal supported by automakers that would allow SUVs and small trucks to achieve 30 mpg and postpone the mandate to 2025.
2025?!? now there's some hopeful thinking, between now and then Gas prices could be 10 times what they are now. But what can you expect from Michigan senators. They're already in the automotive industries pocket.
The Automakers and oil companies love Ronnie Raygun and will likely look for another champion to find a way around any constriction. No wonder they want to put him on the twenty dollar bill.
Isn't Ronnie responsible for reversing the conservation measures Carter (the farmer they love to denig?) tried to implement after the first oil crisis in the 70's?
Yes, the oil companies couldn`t stand the idea of actual competition cutting into their oligopolistic profits. So they bought themselves a president and congress to shut down Carter`s energy policy.
Carter knew that alternative energies were a matter of national defense, something today`s Republicans still have not grasped, even after all these years, wars, and terror deaths.
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The American auto industry is the most highly regulated industry around. It won't take much to bring it down. We are blaming the wrong party here. It is us, with our insatiable desire to consume energy at a very unsustainable rate. If we are going to force the auto companies to do this, I hope the consumer is ready to foot the bill. The price will be nasty.
maybe... but my 20 mile per gallon pick up truck 'll sure hold its value when a comparable one brand new breaks 30k dollars.
see http://www.hotshadow.com/politics.aspx
New large trucks have been well over 30k for a long time
nope. i have a work model 2006 F150 i payed 12,000 dollars for new.
If Congress repealed the second Law of Thermodynamics there would be enough energy for every one.
Why are they stalling?
EthosOil.com
I kinda agree except within reason of the more you sell, the more you produce..the more you produce you find new ways of making things cheaper...Which means you can sell more. The $30 union boys have almost shut down the auto industry in America. Strangely that the countries that dont support Unions have had a chance to look in the eviro area. At this point, I should say, Im a Union member of the BCTGM. Is the Unions just getting in the way or do they expect too much. Unions where once needed here! But since the feds agreed that they need to have laws on safety, work practices, ages of work, and of the such, that the union loved. The unions are out of the question. Why do you think union have decided the cheap labor of illegals is worth fighting for. They need the money to survive bc our govt is doing their jobs and they need a new money making scheme! The public gets what they want. Call the Companies in a mass like we have on the illegals...and we will get better results.
Note reading a similar printed article from Assoc. Press changed my mind some. I would say go for it since it truely just an Average of the line-up. That would mean my beloved Jeep Wrangler could stay and other hummers too... I say this becuase a true 4 wheel knows you cant make a great 4 wheel drive and have great fuel eco.
Because in case you haven't noticed it's all about bigger and better profits. Did you know that the stock holders can now sue a company if the don't make a profit? Gimme a break, NO ONE ever says to a corporation, "You're making too much."
Why? They can just run roughshod over anyone they want in the name of profit? It's all ok. Forget everyone else GREED IS KING!
In 1984 I owned a Dodge Charger that got 45mpg with a carburetor! Where is that car now? I don't want to hear about $30 union boys when GM execs are raking in the dough. Hell GM has plants in Canada where they don't even have to pay for health care. Here in the good 'ol USA it's health care FOR PROFIT. Anything wrong with this picture?
beacuse the prourpose of a bussiness is to make profit.its not to employ people.its not to protect humanity.IT IS TO MAKE PROFIT.if you dont like their product or pracitices DONT BUY THEM.as to what happened to the 45 mpg carb.GOVERMENT happened.regulation happned.instead of leaving well enough alone just as the MARKET was heading in the right direction,someone in goverment thought that they could hurry things up.as is EVERY time govt trys something they F'ed it up.45mpg carb was destoryed by catalytic conveters and smog pumps required by GOVT before they were ready.before they could be truly be tested and intergrated.they still arnt truly ready.i dont begrudge the union boys so much as the union itsself.unions are bottom feeders now that destory corps.the p&g plant here keept unions out for 35 or 40 yrs now they have better benny package and pay scale then the union plants in the system and their workers are retiring multi millionairs.my old man is worth 3 and has another 4yrs
Sorry but no, the oil embargo ended and gas prices went down again. Also, that car did have catalytic converter/air pump etc. Nice try though. Everyone says FI is the best but if thats true then why has mpg gone down? There are many simple things that could be done. Auto-Stop is one. My hybrids' motor stops when the vehicle comes to a stop, saving mpg while idling. It's no biggy. GM IS LAZY!
Regarding unions...if it wasn't for union wages there would be nothing for non-union companies to compete with. The pay would be crap because there would be no standard.
"Regarding unions...if it wasn't for union wages there would be nothing for non-union companies to compete with. The pay would be crap because there would be no standard."
LoL...thats an interesting idea...so thats why Walmarts pays so much...becuase it has to compete with the Unions!
Unions pay good....The big ones. They arent where most of us work though. I could be making about 5k more a year and have cheaper insurance if the Union would had just stayed out of my workplace. The reason I got the job bc the union went on strike after saying no to a contract that six months later they said yes to....nice bargining...And we have to pay money for this??? That is how great some unions are!
WHAT??? We use less gas, the price of gas goes up. The Middle East boys will raise their prices. Nuclear research and terorism is not cheap!
How about Google and the quest for the 100 mpg electric car?
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