[DoubleD]

When I saw the ad for these vehicles I just bust out laughing. It's the worst of either world... a crappy SUV... and a failed attempt at energy savings. It does neither task well at all. What a failure.

It speaks volumes about why our American Automakers will fail first - a real failure to move from one market paradigm to another. Stuck and unable to make a change... just window dressing the past successes hoping that it will somehow become successful again.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Drifter', '.')..Yep. The Big Three are doomed for sure.

[tsakach]

US automakers are hoping to hold on until 2010, when they expect to have more small cars in production. GM has only one small-car plant, while several Ford truck plants are spending a lot of idle time.
Automakers aim to be strong in '10
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')I know we're very confident that new work's going to be coming into Lordstown, since we are the only small-car plant" GM has in the United States, Green said.
"My feeling is that we are not looking at a healthy car market until at least 2010," said Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Business and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
By 2010, economists are forecasting recovery in the U.S. housing market and that the economy, hopefully, will be back into growth mode.

[tsakach]

Meanwhile people are on waiting lists to buy a Prius, even as the price continues to go up. Battery supplies are the main constraint on sales of the Prius:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')rius sales are up 23 percent through April, and it is in short supply at most dealers. Michels said the supply is constrained by battery availability, not assembly capacity. Toyota announced last week it will open a new plant in Japan with partner Panasonic in 2010 to supply hybrid batteries.

[kokoda]

20 miles per gallon ... I am totally underwhelmed.

The big three deserve to be punished in the market place by the likes of Toyota and Honda.

[emersonbiggins]

The "hybrid" has gone beyond hype and is now officially "status symbol" of those who think we can have our cake and eat it, too.

Note the perplexed look on the young man's face.

[mos6507]

Well, someone felt this was a good thing. The two-mode Hybrid won a green car award: Autoblog
For the size and weight of the vehicle, 20mpg is a technical accomplishment. Vehicles like this probably could have been successful with gas around $3 but we've crossed a pain threshold where people will not be happy with 20mpg.

When you look at SUV demand, it was obviously propped up buy carbuyers who simply wanted an SUV but didn't really need them. So their buying habits could change overnight assuming their priorities changed. There will remain a small number who buy vehicles like this for their intended purpose. So on that basis, it's good to hybridize these vehicles.

[dorlomin]

And meanwhile in another world....
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he most-purchased vehicle in Europe, Ford's Focus automobile, gets between 30 and 63 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving.
Even with higher fuel prices, the European Focus costs less to drive than the F-150 pickup truck. Drivers pay about 20 cents to drive the Focus a mile in Germany, while the F-150 costs about 26 cents per mile in the U.S.

[MarkJ]

Judging by the amount of Crossovers we see on a daily basis, that's what many former SUV owners are buying.

[Kingcoal]

All I can say is that I wouldn't want to be in any part of the automobile business. Maybe repair, but even that will decline. There is a world wide glut of auto production. Who's going to buy cars in the future. Hell, I know several people who can take the bus to work who just parked their cars and quit paying for insurance. It's only going to get worse.

[TheDude]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')That's a make-or-break year," McAlinden said. "Ford has some good stuff coming. GM should do well. ... They have some wonderful stuff in the pipeline. 2010 is the big question mark."

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', 'A')ll I can say is that I wouldn't want to be in any part of the automobile business. Maybe repair, but even that will decline. There is a world wide glut of auto production.

[rdberg1957]

It seems the American automakers have been going the wrong direction for 30 years and losing their lead to Japanese automakers. It may be that eventually they will all be gone, but GM and Ford have been wrong about the market so many times. By the time these automakers pay attention to market signals which have been conking them over the head for years, they will be bankrupt.

[mommy22]

There was an article on NPR a few weeks ago about these huge hybrids, and that there are people who are wanting to buy them. However, when they go into a showroom to buy, they are told that there is an incredible wait. So, off to the Toyota showroom, I guess for them!

[Eli]

US automakers really have been caught flat footed again. They are coming out with these hybrids because that is all they can do. They seriously miss judged how soon high gas prices would hit.

It will take millions upon millions to re-tool their factories to produce smaller cars, but the smaller cars have a much smaller profit margin. The Auto industry is going to have to shut down and become a shadow of what they use to produce. I just don't see how the economics gets better for them, we are entering into a new era the last 100 years has been about the personal auto, the next 100 will be about something else.

[tsakach]

If you would like a good laugh, get a load of GM's Cultural Priorities:
Highlights include:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'U')nderstands customers, markets and competitors, and focuses on customer requirements and customer enthusiasm.
Champions fast implementation of leading-edge changes.
Eliminates bureaucracy and slowness.
Questions conventional thinking on products and services.
GM Cultural Priorities

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'U')S automakers really have been caught flat footed again. They are coming out with these hybrids because that is all they can do. They seriously miss judged how soon high gas prices would hit.