Car sales plummet

Satya

Satya

C'est la vie
Retired Staff
MBTI
INXP
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/01/news/co ... tm?cnn=yes

I heard that Vespa is seeing a record year. They get over 70 miles to the gallon and I've been seeing them everywhere around town already.

vespa-hybrid.jpg


The market is doing wonders for pushing companies to go green. At this rate, the Saudis will lose a lot in the long run because the big industrial nations will have converted to fuel efficient and alternative energy sources.
 
We see loads of these electric cars.
smart-car.jpg
 
I read that as Satya's naughty list. LOL
 
It's about time!
 
sumone said:
I read that as Satya's naughty list. LOL
Click to expand...

Mine is longer than Santa's, and twice as naughty. :P

Stone said:
It's about time!
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Don't be too happy about it. It also translates to lost jobs. The automobile industry has been a staple of the American life and economy and now foreign interests are monopolizing the market because of our failure to change our ways.
 
The unfortunate first casualities of economic systems based on cheap oil, it is regretable that the lack of foresight by western leaders has meant that it's individuals that are having to make the slow and painful shift away from oil. Our leaders spent to much time pandering to greedy pro automobile lobbies.
 
Satya said:
sumone said:
I read that as Satya's naughty list. LOL
Click to expand...

Mine is longer than Santa's, and twice as naughty. :P

Stone said:
It's about time!
Click to expand...

Don't be too happy about it. It also translates to lost jobs. The automobile industry has been a staple of the American life and economy and now foreign interests are monopolizing the market because of our failure to change our ways.
Click to expand...
Good. People shouldn't entrench themselves in industries that harm others. If they do and then suffer for it, YAY!
 
Satya said:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/01/news/companies/auto_sales/index.htm?cnn=yes

I heard that Vespa is seeing a record year. They get over 70 miles to the gallon and I've been seeing them everywhere around town already.

vespa-hybrid.jpg


The market is doing wonders for pushing companies to go green. At this rate, the Saudis will lose a lot in the long run because the big industrial nations will have converted to fuel efficient and alternative energy sources.
Click to expand...

I just rode around on something like this today! My bible study group went out for pizza, and the group leader's wife wanted to take her scooter (looks almost identical to this). It's techinically not supposed to ride two people . . . but we did it anyway. I was terrified!

It was kinda funny. We're riding along downtown, and people were staring at us. She's like "they probably think we're a bunch of lesbians". I'm like "totally!" hanging onto her for dear life, laughing the whole time. It was a blast/never gonna do it again!
 
Small, efficient cars are selling like hot cakes!!! I'm an expert on MINI Coopers....a new engine was introduced in 2007 that is more efficient than previous. On a manual Cooper folks get 38-40 mpg city and up to 46 mpg highway...some hypermilers are doing even better!!! It was a lucky that MINI introduced that new engine.

That said, my '91 Metro could get 50 mpg.
 
Change doesn't come without sacrifice. Americans should've been investing in alternative energy longg ago.

This is the perfect opportunity for the American automakers to completely change into making alternate energy cars. Those jobs may be lost, but there will be more made in a completely different sector.
 
Jobs need not be lost if the people who have the jobs that are to be lost are merely given the necessary training to move into what's now needed.

also: How does a mini moke stack up?
 
I think mopeds are the way to go.
 
sumone said:
We see loads of these electric cars.
smart-car.jpg
Click to expand...

Less fuel efficient than the hybrid Ford Fusion, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Insight which achieve 45/48, 45/40, and 61/70 respectively.
The Smart achieves 33 city and 41 highway.
 
MindYourHead said:
Less fuel efficient than the hybrid Ford Fusion, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Insight which achieve 45/48, 45/40, and 61/70 respectively.
The Smart achieves 33 city and 41 highway.
Click to expand...

Now if only any of those listed came with a convertible option, like the Smart does. If I'd known that my organization would make me move to D.C. when I was car shopping back in Nov, I'd have either gone without a car entirely (bikes are good convertibles) or taken the ForTwo over the mini that I ultimately chose.
 
MOTORCYCLES!!!!, but thats just my preference.

From what I've seen Ford is doing fine, plenty of small efficient cars and new a hybrid. Sales seem to be up for them, or at least not plummeting.
 
MindYourHead said:
Less fuel efficient than the hybrid Ford Fusion, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Insight which achieve 45/48, 45/40, and 61/70 respectively.
The Smart achieves 33 city and 41 highway.
Click to expand...
Thats only slightly better than my Probe GT, and that thing can drink gas by modern standards.
 
My only problem with a lot of these economic cars are the physical sizes of the vehicles. I'm not someone who thinks big trucks or cars are awesome, but my size makes fitting into a smaller vehicle than what I have (a Ford Explorer) very uncomfortable, especially for driving. For instance, I had the chance to "hop" into one of those "coffins on wheels" listed above, and it wasn't exactly easy to "hop" in or out of the darn thing...
 
Zero Angel said:
Thats only slightly better than my Probe GT, and that thing can drink gas by modern standards.
Click to expand...

When I consider that the '96 Buick LeSabre we owned would get 30- 31 mpg on long road trips loaded down with luggage, Wife, kid & 2 dogs, the Smart car doesn't look all that great in comparison.
 
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