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Automakers: A Pitiful Trio

A lesson in risk analysis and economic forecasting.

Chance of picking the Ace of Spades from a deck of playing cards
1:52 Easy Peasy 101 Stats

When I tell you that the guy picking the card is a magician in amagic show...hmmm. well 1:1 Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Maybe however the magician is incompetent, he kps pulling cards and doesn't find the Ace ...

Why it's right here in your purse ma'am.

The real world magicians are the cabal of Bankers ,their auditors, who have prepared frauduent Balance sheets for years with all sorts of off BS chicanery and financial legerdemain, paying profits and bonuses until their capital base has disappeared.

It's an asymmetric world and it's the magicians who hold the cards.

GM: More Bailout-Worthy than Citigroup

"The 2 Mode Hybrid Chevy Tahoe—a full size SUV that seats seven with great towing capability—gets the same highway gas mileage (21 mpg highway) as a Toyota Camry and received Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show. "

... and costs (US$50 K basic) as much as Wagoners private jet.

The regular 5.6 litre petrol Tahoe (US$33K basic) gives you 14 mpg on the highway.

GM: More Bailout-Worthy than Citigroup

Let's imagine that a rogue asteroid hits and wipes out the manufacturing plants of GM/Chrysler Ford in North America.

US based foreign owned car companies will take up their declining market share with efficient , well made, reliable, vehicles.

They will of course need parts suppliers, showrooms, need to build new lant, hires ......

OK the total market will be smaller, there will be some folks hurt - but North America will have a highly efficient , compact, well run, auto industry.

The squalid boondoggle cobbled together will keep this wretched crew in a job until after the Superbowl .... better spend those Billions on ensuring some security for the retirees and re-training the redundant.

Maybe someone somewhere could find a job for Wagoner .

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

Ooooops! Boot = Trunk

Compressed Natural Gas: Key to American Energy Independence?

In the UK LNG (we call it LPG) has been available for many years, but not on original vehicles, so there is a cost of conversion around £2,000 - say US$4,000. They are also, all dual fuel, as they need to start on petrol. Any saving in running costs is lost by the inability to sell the used vehicle - second hand values are seriously low - if a buyer can be found... and you lose the boot space for the gas tank.

A recent June 2008 article here - tinyurl.com/57me9l - provides a background on using UK luxury 2nd hand models to convert and then presumably run into the ground.

Depending on the model you may also find problems with insurance cover.