The end of the car business in the US as we knew it.

[larmarv916]

The US federal govt. has sucking up billions in gas taxes for all our lives. The higher gas goes the more money they get. No taxes on natural gas for cars..notice it's almost impossible to get any in California. Also federal govt dropped tax rebates for conversion many years ago..along with dropping rebates for solar water heaters and the like.

California has a special class of exempt "auto polluters" you can see them every day on the road. They have a special " CAL Exempt" on the license plate...they are every city, state, county, car,school bus,Police Car, Cal Trans Truck...none are required to meet or even be tested for smog emissions !! State of California passed a law in the late 80's exempted all public vehicles many years ago!

Oh it gets better....in the mid 80's State of California was offered a zero emmissions "air zinc" battery power source approval in california for cars, trucks and the like....State of California refused...because they did not OWN the technology !! The concept vehicle was designed by Zagato of Milano !

This entire energy scam is really all about money for federal govt. or state or cities...they do not care about anything other than money. Cal Trans is busy trying to make it so you have to pay the state for every mile you are "expected to drive"!!

Also have you notice that there are "CAT converters" on 2 stroke moped engines in europe...but the politically that is not acceptable in California. Bias by politicians is only the result who is footing the bill for elections !! Both the Swiss and Singapore make Cal Smog standards look like a joke. Europe has it's emissions game under control...why to you think the US can not allow Euro certification standards to craft a international emissions plan..loss of power to those in the DOT EPA and CARB. This is all about power and money.

Any truly effecient engine will burn all the fuel, if the compression and bun pattern are allowed to actually obey the law of combustion...so more HP from smaller engines. Is blocked by idea that you get to much Horsepower! Bill Lear of Lear Jet...created a steam powered bus for LA...they turned it down because it was killed by GM and the Machinists Union...Zero service required. Ran on natural gas. Lear offered to give the plans to an nonprofit corporation that would build and maintain the new steam busses. But no kick backs for LA Mayor and city councel members.

Now CAL-Trans wants to build a 20 yr out of date High Speed rail system that will take 20 years to finish...and promises to carry 60.5 miillion passengers a year! Not going to happen that is the total population of California!! The actual cost can not be less than 2 billion per mile or service. California blocked a private group that wanted to build a MAG-LEV system like Seimens does now...why no money for state of california...this is all about greed of the governmental system at all levels.

Washington DC Beltway Fools just can not stop inventing "Pork" to waste money on...these programs do not create jobs either. That is another historical fact. Remember it's not your money...you just get to earn it!

 

[Olsen]

When the population wakes up to the fact that government policy is what caused this, maybe we can get some people in office who will stop Nafta, incentives for outsourcing to foreign lands, bloated government with no fiscal responsibility, etc etc. I could go on for an hour.

The old say we have the best government money can buy is very true. Lobbyists, campaign contributions, favors, all distort the system for the benefit of the pols and big money who can buy whatever laws they want. Corp execs act like they own the business and work hand in hand with the boards of directors to give each other raises.
Stockholders get screwed. Congress voted themselves $5000 raises for 2010. How much did you get? Finance people make money by playing shell games with money and create no real value. Damn near put the world into depression with congress adding and abbeting.

The top few percent of the population controls 25% of the money and it is going up. The middle class has made NO GAINS adjusted for inflation since 1980 or before.

The lower class can`t get any work. Therefore taxes have to go up to pay for their unemployment.

Now we have goverment setting up a health care plan we don`t want but is so good for us, congress will not get into it themselves.

So when people have no money, cars are the last thing they need to buy. So the ripple effect will kill more and more.

Nobody listened to Ross Perot when he talked of the giant sucking sound of wealth leaving. Well do you hear it now?

Nobody listened to Ron Paul in the last election. That would have been a start.

This is absolutely not partisan politics because there is pleanty of blame to go around, both elephants and donkeys. Behind closed doors they are buddies, believe me.

This country is on the road to a socialst movement like Europe and the welfare state with taxes you can`t believe to pay the benefits. And they don`t pay their own defense bill.
We still have thousands of people stationed there protecting them from the Russian invasion. We have cushioned their downfall by our defense umbrella. Problem is there is nobody to cushion us.

We had better start paying attention if it not already too late, because there is not much time left if we don`t. It is getting pretty bad when communist China lectures us on our stupid monetary policy. Sad but true.

Step one is evoke tern limits. No congress does not need to enact them. We get the chance every other year. It is simple. If you recognise the name, put the X somewhere else. That simple folks. You do have to register and go to the poll. Is that too much effort? A lot of people died for you to exercise that right. The least you can do is take advantage or you are part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

One last lesson. Government can`t give you anything. It has no money other than what they confiscate from you to distribute to someone else. Don`t listen to all the promises because they all end up the same way, more taxes.

Ronald,

I agree with you on on most of your observations.

Except for that the 5% richest people in USA owns far more than 'only' 25% of the assets. They own far more!

And: Most US troops, planes and equipment is now pulled out of Europe. With the result that it is now Norwegian fighter F-16s that protects Island's sky. etc.

The anti balistic rockets in Polen was pulled out when the White House was reminded that they were pointing at a large creditor and holder of some 80 billion plus of US Treasury Bonds: Russia.

And tiny nations like UK, Denmark and Norway are paying for the development of F-35. Even though they have not decided to buy the stuff. Friendly, he?

The easiest way to reduce Federal debt is to reduce defence spending and pull troops out of Iraq, Saudi Arabia (that is what Osama bin Laden wants...), Afganistan, Taiwan, South Korea and reduce all the bases around the world to a minimum. Even with 'only' two aircraft carrier groups USA will be the strongest nation in the world. You can half your defence spending three times before it is reduced to the level of the no 2 on the list of world military powers; a friendly nation: Great Britain.

Nor do I agree with your conclusion. Ron Paul or the types of Ross Perot, although they have a few fancy points to make, will lead you in wrong direction. It will get even worse with more 'market' and more profit run institutions around you.

This crisis is a roaring victory to the European Social democracy as practised in many European countries. The crisis do not hit us so hard since many are working in the public sector. Car sales is 'moderate', but not catastrophically low. Unemployment less than half of that of USA. The unemployed are far better cared for, get more money longer, than in USA. He/she have a comfortable health care coverage, regardless of work or not. Etc.

But to have all this: The price is to pay much higher taxes.

 

[user237428934]

Products that suck and a huge problem with accrual for pensions. No company can cope with that without help from outside.
Fords are an exception because here we get the ones assembled in Europe and the build quality is far better than the quality of US Fords.

 

[jack palmer]

Products that suck and a huge problem with accrual for pensions. No company can cope with that without help from outside.
Fords are an exception because here we get the ones assembled in Europe and the build quality is far better than the quality of US Fords.

I dont know about that, I have a 2006 Ford F350 6.0L Diesel and the fit and finish is pretty good and it's built right here in the U.S. I wouldn't be driving something so large if I didn't tow an Airstream. My wife drives a VW Beetle Diesel and although it gets better mileage , I don't think it's built as well as my Ford.

 

[Tuolumne]

Seattle area, this is just two of many. All of the employees out of work. I spent 15yrs in the auto industry now not working.

Join a long line of senior people in many industries, now out of work. I decided to pack it in after 30 years in technology and no jobs available to me now. I retired to Israel. I feel sorry for people still in the work force. The years ahead will be very Darwinian and totally brutal.

/Ira

 

[Frontman]

The problem auto manufacturers had was not entirely of their own making. The auto manufacturers did not make faulty products, they made the products which consumers wanted them to make. The blame for the current mess which auto manufacturers are in belongs to many. The automakers here in Japan are facing hard times as well; Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru are all suffering, having laid off large numbers of workers, and reducing the hours of the staff which remain.

Car companies were hit on 2 fronts. First was the ridiculous and unexpected jump in the cost of oil. Speculation in oil led to a dramatic rise in the cost of gasoline, rudely awakening many Americans who had over the years become fans of the SUV. Speculation in oil was rampant because with the collapse in the real-estate market, investors needed a safe place to put their money.

Financial crisis. Collapsing home values, combined with risky sub-prime practices wreaked havoc on consumers and companies alike. Easy credit disappeared, and the ability for people to borrow money against their homes for paying down other debts (or buying another car) also disappeared.

The blame for the current crisis lies with government mismanagement of the economy, namely poor regulation of interest rates, and short-sighted practices which stymied natural business cycles. It's good to see Senator Chris Dodd will not run for re election, he was one of the chair persons for the banking and finance committees. The other members of these committees should be shown the door as well.

 

[Mcary]

The way I see it the U.S car business was built around a business plan in which the majority of its customers' purchased a new vehicle every 1-3 years. This of course worked great when car loans were 24-48 months in length, but once the duration of the average loan increased to 60 then 72 months, due to wages not keeping pace with inflation, most people simple could no longer afford to keep buying a new car every 1-3 years. Sure some people did continue the old trend by either taking out very upside down loans or using their house as an ATM, neither of which are sustainable for any long period of time.

 

[user237428934]

I dont know about that, I have a 2006 Ford F350 6.0L Diesel and the fit and finish is pretty good and it's built right here in the U.S. I wouldn't be driving something so large if I didn't tow an Airstream. My wife drives a VW Beetle Diesel and although it gets better mileage , I don't think it's built as well as my Ford.

Either I am wrong with the build quality or we have different expectations in build quality. As everything this is quite subjective.
My current car makes me mad. Every time I open the huge sunroof it makes a "clack" in the middle and I need a lot of force to close the doors. And some more minor quirks. So I must admit that my car is not so well built. Yes, I am picky 😀

 

[newspaperguy]

...and to think this was W/NW Words no Words.

😱

 

[jack palmer]

...and to think this was W/NW Words no Words.

😱

Oops... I guess seeing photo's of empty dealerships brings up a lot of negitive mental images.

 

[user237428934]

...and to think this was W/NW Words no Words.

😱

You are right, sorry.

 

[kknox]

I was the only one who posted photos of the empty dealerships. Thats all I wanted to see.

 

[Olsen]

It was near the end of a big transport company too: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aKKPvOT2pMm0