And do you know why Detroit made 13mpg SUVs? Because people wanted them. When gas was $0.99 a gallon, automakers couldn't make enough trucks and SUVs.
I admit that GM and Chrysler, especially, have not done much to improve their own situations, but please take a moment to educate yourself before making such harsh statements.
Amen.
As little as 4 or 5 years ago, the Ford Explorer was one of the best selling vehicles in the country. At the same time, Toyota was offering rebates on the Prius because it couldn't move them off the lots. Go drive around and see how many 3 to 10 year old SUV's you see on the road compared to subcompacts. Detroit built big SUV's because that's what people would buy. Even Toyota and Nissan were rushing huge trucks and SUV's to market.
In a way we've all helped Detriot into their current mess. We all ran out and bought huge gas guzzlers in the interest of "safety", even though it would have been much more effective to simply stay off the darned cell phone while driving. If Detroit had concentrated on small, high mileage cars, they would have gone broke five years ago.
The Japanese and European manufactuers have been able to quickly offer smaller, high mileage cars because they already design those cars for their home market. When gas prices went through the roof over the last 2 years, those designs were already on the shelf or in production elsewhere. It takes time to design and test a car. Is anyone here old enough to remember Detroit's earlier attempts to rush new designs to market before they're ready? Need I mention the Chevy Vega, Ford Pinto, or the "X" cars?
As far as the cars themselves, they are heavy and less durable because that's what we've demanded. In order to improve crash safety and handle increased horsepower, the bodies must be built stronger. If you want six airbags for safety, you're adding another few hundred pounds. Clean air laws have added emission controls that reduce mileage, and forced the car makers to use less-durable paints on the cars. In order to compensate for the increased weight, many parts are now made of lighter, but less durable plastics.
At the same time, our Walmart mentality caused us to demand that car prices stay cheap. Instead of paying an extra couple of thousand for a durable car and keeping it for 8 to 10 years like our parents did, we wanted a new car every 2 or 3 years to keep up with the Joneses. However, the domestic makers were saddled with higher salaries and benefit costs than the import companies. (How dare American workers expect a living wage and health insurance!) In order to price the cars competitively, the money had to come out of the cost of the materials in the car, which reduces durability. This also accounts for the past absence of expensive technology in domestic cars that would increased efficiency, like DOHC engines and six speed transmissions.
In the end, you get what you pay for. If you think that domestic cars all stink, you need to at least glance at the mirror.
