Big 3 looking for another Handout?

They are already ( they being Auto Mfg's) asking for more money ($25 Billion more) so they can "re-tool" for smaller more efficent vehicles and Electric technology.

Excuse me a moment while I puke.......

Will someone tell me why we should give them money to do what they should have doing years ago? Toyota and Honda have been out front on this and the "old Big 3" NEVER NOTICED?

Mini will be leasing Electric Coopers starting next year in limited zones only. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot ... icle_spied
Funny, BMW figured out we need these cars like the Japanese and not us?

The Chevy Volt is still not ready and won't be for another year or so. http://www.greendaily.com/2008/04/21/ch ... -probably/

So we have ONE viable domestic Electric car in the pipeline, wow . Impressed? me, not so much.

They should've been developing newer and better cars 30 years ago. We keep bailing out these companies with money borrowed from China, all we're doing is delaying the inevitable and digging ourself deeper in debt. The markets need to correct on their own and if that means some will go under then so be it. It's sad for the workers but we cannot keep finacing their incompetence with billions of dollars that we the taxpayers will end up paying for in the long run.

Dave

The gas mileage for cars has suffered a bit over the years.

http://www.wanttoknow.info/050711carmileageaveragempg

Car Mileage: 1908 Ford Model T - 25 MPG
2004 EPA Average All Cars - 21 MPG

vtec350 wrote:The markets need to correct on their own and if that means some will go under then so be it. It's sad for the workers but we cannot keep finacing their incompetence with billions of dollars that we the taxpayers will end up paying for in the long run.

I agree! If we bail them out this year then they hang around so we can bail them out next year or in five years or ten years...you get the idea. No foresight, not flexible enough to change with market conditions, ridiculous labor agreements made during better times; whatever the cause the market punishes those who make bad decisions, to interfere with the nature of the free market would not be the wise thing to do. (IMO)

Dallas wrote:The gas mileage for cars has suffered a bit over the years.

http://www.wanttoknow.info/050711carmileageaveragempg

Car Mileage: 1908 Ford Model T - 25 MPG
2004 EPA Average All Cars - 21 MPG

What they don't factor in is that horsepower & torque are at least 10 times that of the Model T.

What morons the Detroit News has:
"Ford's Model T, which went 25 miles on a gallon of gasoline, was more fuel efficient than the current Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle -- which manages just 16 miles per gallon."
-- Detroit News, 6/4/03

If they were talking about the 1909 model, the engine was an L-head four displacing 176.7 cubic inches (about 2.9 liters) with a 4.5-to-1 compression ratio that produced 22 horsepower at 1,600 rpm.

The 2009 Ford Explorer with the 4.6 liter V8 makes 292 horsepower @ 5,700 rpm -- there is a slight difference there!!

Torque on the Exploder is 315 @ 4,000 -- I'd guess that the Model T with such a low HP peak is probably in the range of 35-50 ft./lbs. of torque.

They're comparing apples to hubbard squash for the sake of their story

With even the thinnest pancake,it still has 2 sides. No matter how you slice it, 25 miles you did not have to walk 100 years ago is the same 25 miles today except the 1908 people could probably walk the 25 if they had to.I remember the gas lines of the 70's when the "Giant Cry from Washington" was alternative energy and high efficiency,it did not amount to a hill of beans .We didn't learn.When the first japanese vehicles came over here Detroit told us we didn't want anything like that.They said we would never buy small,light,uncomfortable cars.They always knew what we wanted but never really asked us. We have had 30+ years to straighten out and fly right and look at us now. I have to agree with the above comment that we need to let the market forces prevail without anymore taxpayer intervention. My 2001 VW TDI gets 47 m.p.g. and nothing from this country comes close seven years later. Is it too late for us to wise up??

I

is it too late for us to wise up??

I don't know, but like you I also have a fuel efficent German car, avg. combined mileage is 34mpg