"Wayne.B" wrote in message
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On Fri, 1 Aug 2008 21:57:26 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

I'll try again.

Automakers build what the consumer buys.

Eisboch

That's true up to a point but GM and Ford pigged out at the party.
They knew very well they were making much higher margins on their big
vehicles, and as a result, put way too little funding into R & D for
fuel efficiency. The handwriting has been on the wall for quite
awhile for anyone who cared to look, but GM and Ford had their head in
the sand. Is there any doubt that they could have produced high
quality efficient vehicles, similar to Toyota and Honda, if they had
put an effort into it?


And Toyota and Honda have also taken a bad road. Looking at new vehicle for
SWMBO. Liked the Acura MDX. People complaining about mileage. 12-18 mpg.
Look at the new Tundra. Same size as an F150. 14 mpg highway. Toyota
Highlander Hybrid. $49k. Like the look and feel of the Saturn GreenVue.
32 mpg highway, 20+ around town. $25k. My daughter bought a new Sequoia
last year. $48k, and probably gets the same crappy mileage as the same size
Ford Expedition. About 14 around town, and 16 highway. Look at all the ads
for the Japanese cars. Touting the performance.