UH2L

Honda Ranked Most Fuel-Efficient in U.S.

I agree with the other commenters. These stats for manufacturer fleet fuel efficiency numbers are useless. People don't buy a fleet of cars, they buy one of a certain segment.

You should note that the Ford Fusion gets the best (non-hybrid) fuel economy for a mid-sized sedan, the Chevy Equinox gets the best fuel economy for a mid-sized SUV, the GM full size trucks are best. These are the stats that matter and they correspond with the segments that sell the most so they have the most impact. At the other end of the spectrum, the Camaro and Corvette get amazing highway fuel economy, kicking the butt of their segment competitors. GM, Ford, Chrysler are a little low on the small car segments except for the Chevy Cobalt XFE. But, the press likes to bash Detroit and portray things in a way that makes them look bad. Just wait for the Chevy Cruze and the Ford Fiesta to kick some more fuel efficiency butt.

Auto MPG: The Economics of CAFE, Part One

CAFE doesn't restrict what kind of car you can drive. It restricts the average fuel economy of vehicles sold by a given manufacturer. And even then manufacturers can sell all guzzlers as long as they pay the fines. Mercedes has been paying fines for years but you can still buy a souped up AMG Mercedes getting 12 mpg.

And as for fuel tax increases being the way to go, that's like asking kids who are addicted to sugar if they want less sugar and they can vote to have parents that will give them as much sugar as they want or parents who will restrict how much sugar they can have. We are like such children in this regard. We want cheap gas and are outraged when the price goes too high. We feel that cheap gas is our God-given right and would never collectively vote in politicians that would raise gas taxes significantly, even if it was done gradually. There's also the part about such tax increases slowing down our economy and making transportation unaffordable for poor people.

CAFE is a decent solution but far from ideal. I think tax rebates on a sliding scale for cars more efficient than the standard are the way to go. These could be offset by sliding scale tax penalties on cars that get below the average.

Cars: What It Means to 'Buy American'

It's amazing how us Americans can be so Anti-American, and more specifically anti-Detroit. There's this grudge from prior bad product experiences and jealousy for people working on assembly lines making more money than people with degrees. I have two degrees and I admire these workers because I don't know how they do it day in and day out. Also, it's not just workers screwing parts together. There are many skilled trades that require lots of training and experience including tool maintenance, model-making, test-driving.

I applaud Obama's stance. He realizes how important our auto manufacturing industry is economically, technologically, and for energy independence / national security.

People tend to forget that it's not just about where the vehicle is built, but where the work behind the design, engineering, marketing, finance, accounting, takes place too.

I think the unions did ask for too much up until recently, but if it weren't for unions, none of us would enjoy the benefits and protections we have today.

I was in Germany recently and I would say 80% of the cars I saw were German. If only we had that kind of patriotism here.

What else is made here anymore? We need manufacturing here for a strong economy. That's because we need to bring money into our economy by selling goods to other countries. We cannot survive as a service-based economy. You can't export haircuts and carwashes!

Will Detroit's Loss Be Japan's Gain?

Vienna and bs_o_meter,

You both touch on the fact that the Japanese and other transplant plants here are much newer. I agree that the US companies should have made more flexible plants for when market demands change, but is this possible at all of their locations without starting from scratch? I don't know.

As for arrogance, when I worked at GM, many of our engineers noticed even stronger arrogance and stubbornness from their German counterparts within the company. (That's not to say our American executives don't suffer from it).

Who Might Benefit From Detroit's Failings

Here's my take on the whole situation.

uh2l.blogs.com/things_...

I agree with the earlier comment that industry (and people) will be coming back to the Great Lakes in 10-15 years because they will need WATER, (the next oil). The Southwest and California are running out and Atlanta ran out last year.

Should We Really Bail Out the Big Three Automakers with $73.20 Per Hour Labor?

Building a car is not just screwing on bolts. There are people who do skilled trades that few of us with masters degrees could do. Modelmaking, prototype building, machining with computer controlled machinery, etc... And the monotony of some of their work deserves compensation too. If it weren't for the unions, we wouldn't have nearly the benefits that we do in the white collar world.

Perhaps unions began to expect too much, but I would much rather these people make more money than the executives make millions more. They can lay people off to help the bottom line but who's going to buy your products if nobody has a well-paying job to be able to afford them? Will that help business in the long term?

As for people who say the Domestic Three make cars nobody wants, you should go drive some and check out the latest quality surveys and then talk. It's really sad that we're not at all patriotic when it comes to one of the last manufactured products developed and/or made in our country. I think we should reward companies that treat their employees well by buying their products. Instead we reward ones that overwork their employees to the point of them committing suicide. To wish for the Domestic Three's downfall is sheer stupidity as the related job losses in other industries would be devastating. Healthcare, advertising, legal services, construction, banking all will be affected. Your job may be affected even if you don't live in Michigan!

Not to dismiss some of the management mistakes these companies have made, but the playing field hasn't been level for a long time and the Bush/Republican administration did nothing about healthcare, currency manipulation, unfair trade practices. A domestic auto industry owned by American corporations is important to our national security too. Toyota and VW plants in the US won't be volunteering to make tanks and defense parts if we ever enter into a real global war.