Bye Bye To The American V-8...

[beater68427]

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"President Obama plans to propose the first-ever national emission limits for cars and trucks as well as average mileage requirements of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 -- all costing consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle. "

More "CHANGE".

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What a joke, I think he has forgotten about the road tax on fuel so if he could ever get this to pass he would realize a great shortage of funds, well I guess not he would just raise the tax on it, oh I forgot he is not going to raise any taxes.... second for a look on pollution why do they not increase emissions for maufacturing, my business sits in the middle of refineries, I have Chevron Sinclair Phillips and some independents, they do burn off's every night have for 30 years i'm aware of, its done at night to keep complaints down, you should see it huge black clouds coming out of the stacks for hours, I wonder how thats effecting versus normal day to day traffic

[StealthBird]

You see, if you think like a Liberal, or a global warming alarmist, having frost on your lawn in May is due to global warming. Record high temp in January? Global warming. Record low temp in January? Global warming. Too many tornadoes? Global warming. No tornadoes? Global warming. Ice caps melting? Global warming. Ice caps getting thicker? Global warming. Hurricane Katrina? Global warming. No hurricanes the following year? Global warming.

This new proclamation from King Barack is disturbing, because states are hurting for funding right now, and you know what's next. They will begin to target older cars to get them off the road, and all states will adopt California emmissions standards in order to get people go out and buy the new clean, fuel efficient cars.

[John Brown]

I sure am glad my pos full size 85 Oldsmobile gets 25 <u>real</u> miles per gallon.

If it ever dies, I'm gonna buy another one.

[70 copo]

Here is a guy that gets it....

Michael LaFaive, director of fiscal policy at the Michigan Mackinac Center for Public Policy stated just today:

"The law of unintended consequences is at work always and everywhere, The headline should read 'U.S. to boost the attractiveness of used cars by 2016'."

He went on to state that until the old fleet of vehicles flat-out sputters and dies, consumers could be squeezing every last mile out of their used cars, in turn holding sales of new, fuel-efficient cars to a low level.

[JoeG]

Wow --what a great idea----increase the emission standards while the Auto industry is still reeling from lack of sales and bankrupcy--make cars that will be so light unsafe and so small that no one will buy and will most likely turn people to look at foreign auto makers and throw a $1300.00 extra cost per vehicle,which really is a gas tax........Can you say**** HUGO ****.........Man , I hope this is a one term administration........and get back to some sanity....

[Chevy454]

Isn't this a lot like "stepping over a dollar to pick up a penny"? Irregardless of the fact that the *last* thing the US auto mans need right now are more crazy regulations to attain &amp; eat up all new R&amp;D money...but what about the US consumer? They *estimate* it will only add $1300 to the cost, but last time I checked, folks already think cars are overpriced, so they crank up the price even more?

And I'm afraid to ask how they're gonna make up for the lost revenue from the road tax...!

[markinnaples]

We all need to contact our representatives and voice our opinions LOUDLY.

Maybe I am a blind optimist, but I believe if they think they will be out of a job next time, they will listen.

[442w30]

So, Mike, how is this proposal different from any previous CAFE proposal?

The truth is that performance cars are here to stay. To dishonestly (figuratively, mind you) suggest that the world is going to end because of a proposal that is par for the course keeps our minds of the really important stuff, like a status quo in the financial sector that has yet to change, a crumbling auto industry being helped by a bumbling government, and the lack of preparedness our country finds itself in to compete globally against countries that are carrying a lot more weight than they had before. I'm really interested in seeing the future and seeing how things end up. Certainly they can't be any worse than the direction we were headed.

[70 copo]

We have been there. same policies that gave us the 55MPH Speed limit and 165 HP V8's. Not a future I want.

Performance is how you define it. If you want a smart car with a turbocharger you will like the future alot and you will be in the minority.

Brand loyality shifts have polarized within the auto industry.

IMO... People who buy GM want what GM does best-an American V-8. HP and torque for towing and power for performance.

GM has tried to gain back market segment in cars from the imports for years by trying to be "like an import", while abandoning its core market for car buyers. Discontinuation of the F-body platform in 2002 is a prime example where the cobalt was to compete against the imports and the SSR was a bone thrown to the Camaro buyer.

Wrong on the Cobalt wrong on the SSR. More people left GM and went to other market segments.

Along the way GM finally became self aware and tried to reverse course. Difference is that now GM will be forced to build cars that are aligned with a market segment that they lost a decade ago to Honda and Toyota and I seriously doubt those buyers will be back abesent a rock bottom price.

That is why Fritz Henderson was quoted recently that GM would import cars from china.

So much for "keeping American jobs here in America" and a long list of broken promises to the voter.

[442w30]

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We have been there. same policies that gave us the 55MPH Speed limit and 165 HP V8's. Not a future I want.

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A speed limit? Petty . . . speed limits are still low in my area.

165 hp? Blame GM for that.


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IMO... People who buy GM want what GM does best-an American V-8. HP and torque for towing and power for performance.


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No, you're speaking of the hobbyist who drives V8s as a hobby.

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GM has tried to gain back market segment in cars from the imports for years by trying to be "like an import", while abandoning its core market for car buyers. Discontinuation of the F-body platform in 2002 is a prime example where the cobalt was to compete against the imports and the SSR was a bone thrown to the Camaro buyer.

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You're mistaken about Detroit's marketing. Discontinuing the F-body was arguable. The Cobalt was replacement for the unlamented Cavalier, and merely was Chevy's submission to competing in a class of vehicles. SSR? A niche vehicle.

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Wrong on the Cobalt wrong on the SSR. More people left GM and went to other market segments.

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What's wrong with the Cobalt? Lackluster in comparison to the competition? So whose fault was that?

Ditto with the SSR - lack of hp? Whose fault was that?

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Along the way GM finally became self aware and tried to reverse course. Difference is that now GM will be forced to build cars that are aligned with a market segment that they lost a decade ago to Honda and Toyota and I seriously doubt those buyers will be back abesent a rock bottom price.

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This may come as a surprise to you, but GM is not self-aware. GM's current situation most certainly has something to do with the economy but, even more so, GM's current situation has a hell of a lot to do with GM. Blaming the government is a convenient way to ignore the problems GM has had . . . but that's par for the course as GM has ignored its problems for years. Ironic, considering they have a portfolio of stellar cars.

Now, against the wall, GM is faced with making compromises in its future. The capitalist in me says to let GM die, but the American in me says we need to help Detroit as much as we can. . . so we have the government to do that.

You can't get back to health until you figure out what's causing the symptoms. I hope that GM has figured it out for once.