Bob Lutz: CAFE 35 will increase the cost of GMs by $6000

but if i dont have the big truck then how will other drivers know how MACHO i am!? haha jk man, I see your point...

I am pretty much what the auto industry is trying to get rid of (performance oriented car and heavy duty truck) and i can understand that. My situation is that Im single so I have a fairly liquid income and then also my commute to work is only about 5 miles, so gas economy isnt something I worry about too much. I know taht this will change over the next few years, but then I would have to re-evaluate my car situation

Performance cars don't have to get bad fuel economy...
lotus_elise_2006.jpg

...you just have to add lightness.

21 mpg city/27 mpg hwy
 
i get ~20mph city, 23mpg highway and my car is in no way light. corvettes get what, 25mpg highway? the civic si is probably close to 30mpg. fun cars can still be around they just can't make up a majority of an auto manufacturer's sales so they may cut back production numbers on them and consequently charge more
 
I remember reading about a 400hp vw rabbit that claimed it could get 40mpg. Which is entirely feasible, with a power/economy tune
 
Yup. As I said earlier, more expensive gas makes virtually all goods and services in this country more expensive. I'm sure some sort of program could be worked out to allow companies to write off gas taxes paid in a year, though, making it not so painful for them, and, consequently, the consumer.

This is a straw man argument because it assumes that businesses are already operating at maximum fuel efficiency. I know there are many (millions?) of trucks that could become minivans tomorrow if a business thought it was necessary. I know there are thousands of trucks and vans that could become cars given the same circumstance. The market will adjust according to macro economic principles...

Could prices rise? Of course
Could people loose their jobs? Sure, but it happens for because of mismanagement everyday...
Could usage decrease? Yes
Would percentage of income spent on gasoline stay relatively the same? Probably
 
Could prices rise? Of course
Could people loose their jobs? Sure, but it happens for because of mismanagement everyday...
Could usage decrease? Yes
Would percentage of income spent on gasoline stay relatively the same? Probably



Hey hey hey, I don't appreciate your logic. lol
 
This is a straw man argument because it assumes that businesses are already operating at maximum fuel efficiency. I know there are many (millions?) of trucks that could become minivans tomorrow if a business thought it was necessary. I know there are thousands of trucks and vans that could become cars given the same circumstance. The market will adjust according to macro economic principles...

Could prices rise? Of course
Could people loose their jobs? Sure, but it happens for because of mismanagement everyday...
Could usage decrease? Yes
Would percentage of income spent on gasoline stay relatively the same? Probably


I'm not talking about just work trucks and vans. I'm talking about the trucks that haul goods across the country for distribution. When it costs more to move stuff, it's going to cost more to buy it.
 
Here's the problem.... when the government does something to "help", it is normally against big business. Big business easily pawns it off on the consumer. If we skip the middle man and immediately go to the consumer, via additional gas taxes, the consumer will continue to pay for the gas. The oil company still turns its same profit. And GM and the others still charge the 6k more for their cars for no reason.

And then they do come out with 55mpg cars. So we, the consumer, say, "great I can drive more now" and we do. In the end, we still spend more money.

There are, and have been for that matter, plenty of alternative options (anyone remember gas-o-hol) to our "energy crisis". However, the lobbyists have come up with some pretty good marketing schemes for us to continue to purchase 100 year old technology in the name of the environment, in the name of acceleration, in the name of our country, in the name of tradition.
 
I'm not talking about just work trucks and vans. I'm talking about the trucks that haul goods across the country for distribution. When it costs more to move stuff, it's going to cost more to buy it.

Well, yes truck transportation systems will get more expensive. But aren't trains much more efficient at long-haul transportation anyway? I know our comingled-goods shipping system prefers the flexability of truck-based transport, but its hardly what I call necessary for the efficient function of the economy.
 
Well, yes truck transportation systems will get more expensive. But aren't trains much more efficient at long-haul transportation anyway? I know our comingled-goods shipping system prefers the flexability of truck-based transport, but its hardly what I call necessary for the efficient function of the economy.

everything is hub-economics now-a-days.
 
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