Increased calls for cash from ailing car makers
Every day there's more gloom and doom about the American motor industry. General Motors is doing so badly that the UK's Guardian website reports it's heading for a "bankrupt-like path" at the very least. And its stock is apparently, worthless.
Car makers in the US, just like over here in Europe, have spent too long relying on the theory that bigger equals better, and now they're finding out just how wrong they are. Over there and over here, there have been calls for cash loans to help them invest in technology to produce greener cars, but according to DET news which cites the case of falling sales for BMW in Europe,
"BMW has a head start over its rivals in engineering solutions to excessive CO2 emissions".
Though the circumstances are different in the US (I explained before about the different market model in the States that relies on profit from loan financing which has just about dried up) it's the same old story - carmakers are asking for money to bail them out.
In the States, the situation is undoubtedly grim - and at the end of the day it's the workers involved in the car business, ordinary people whose jobs are at stake here. But if they are bailed out there needs to be some safeguards to stop the car industry carrying on with business as usual.
We need cast iron guarantees that the car makers will invest the cash in ways to help them shift to greener cars. And that needs to be backed up by legislation limiting CO2 emissions in new cars to make sure that can people switch to cleaner cars when they replace their existing model.
Finally, another quote from the DET news:
"The performance car era may be over and BMW may need to learn to live with weak mix (smaller, less powerful cars)."
And the sooner that message gets through the better it will be for all of us.
Comments
... so you guys are basically telling me that I'm going to be told by the government what cars to buy and lust after. Sorry, but it ain't happening. Boring econoboxes or soulless hybrids don't light my soul afire. The song isn't called "Little Red Prius", or "Smart Car Sally", or "Bitchin' Kei Car".
You guys may try to crush high-performance, like what was attempted in the 1970's, but you guys will fail horribly. The Lamborghinis and Ferraris and '69 COPO Camaros and Hemi 'Cudas will still be around, and you guys can try to pry them from the owners' cold, dead hands.
You guys probably need to see footage of the 2010 Ford Mustang's introduction at the LA Auto Show yesterday. And you guys have the nerve to tell them that they don't deserve that piece of awesomeness? Good luck, you're all going to need it.
Me, I'm buying a 2010 Mustang GT sometime next year. No econoboxes or hybrids that were subsidized by the Japanese government for me!
Posted by: ferrarimanf355 | November 20, 2008 1:10 AM
Wow, ferrariman, you've obviously got some strong feelings on the issue.
As I see it, it's up to the carmakers to deliver the goods here. Governments and the EU need to step in because the car makers have failed to address the fact that the cars they make are contributing significantly to human-created climate change.
We all need to take responsibility in preventing disastrous climate change. And that includes the car makers. The technology already exists for cars to make a big contribution to the lowering of CO2 emissions and with all the technical expertise of their engineers and research teams there is a huge potential for them to do a lot more. It's up to them to come up with the solutions, and if they can produce performance cars that really are CO2 neutral (as opposed to ones that shift the emissions from the petrol pump to the power plant), I'm not going to argue.
Posted by: Debra | November 20, 2008 10:29 AM
Maybe it's me, but I always wanted a muscle car. Blame it on the one weekend when I was a little kid where I rode shotgun in a neighbor's '69 Camaro SS. That V8 rumble just sounds like a symphony to me, something that only the high buzzing of an European supercar can match. Four-bangers don't stir my soul much.
I agree with a few things you guys are doing- saving whales, the palm oil brouhaha, quitting coal- but when it comes to cars, while SUV's are pointless, hi-po sports cars are a third rail for me that shouldn't be touched. And it's not like V8 motors are gas hogs- Corvette owners frequently report that they can get 30 MPG on the highway from their 400 HP+ cars with careful driving.
I'm not trying to go Chris Crocker on you guys (look it up on YouTube), but I'm just saying that there's always a place for muscle cars, exotics, and having fun while driving. The millions of people who own fun-to-drive cars would agree.
Posted by: ferrarimanf355 | November 22, 2008 6:30 PM
I've been trying (unsuccessfully so far) to find some figures on CO2 emissions for a Mustang so we know what we're talking about here.
And though I understand what you're saying about cars, and take the point that you are concerned about the environment, I wonder how you feel about the damage a V8 engine has on the environment?
And what about electric sports cars? If you could get a performance car that was truly carbon neutral, would that be a good enough compromise?
Sure you wouldn't have the throb of the V8 but who knows, in time you might even grow to love it? You might be interested in this guy who is building a wind powered sports car.
Posted by: Debra | November 25, 2008 1:06 PM
It's not a true sports car unless there's a defining engine noise, like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHKc9QByN4
Posted by: ferrarimanf355 | December 1, 2008 3:09 AM
I don't own a sports car, but I have spent a day on French motorways in a TVR which has that V8 roar that sports car fans love, so I do know exactly what you mean.
But surely, that's only one aspect of the experience, otherwise it would be satisfying enough (and a whole lot cheaper) to replay that youtube vid over and over from the comfort of your own armchair?
Maybe you should go for a spin in a Tesla, and learn how it is without the deafening roar and all the damage it does to the environment.
Posted by: Debra | December 2, 2008 11:46 AM