Saving the US Auto Industry

[Aliantha]

You know Bri, I'm just thinking that if 9 out of 10 workers spent their time in sick bay with the nurse, it's no wonder they didn't make enough cars.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

You know Bri, I'm just thinking that if 9 out of 10 workers spent their time in sick bay with the nurse, it's no wonder they didn't make enough cars.

All the guys in the shop knew how hot the nurse was. Blame it on the nurse.

[Aliantha]

Yeah...it's all Bri's fault that the US auto industry is collapsing. lol

Might I just say that the Australian industry isn't doing all that much better. No one is buying cars at the moment, but the advantage that we have is that most of our manufacturers make more small cars than large, so they've got half a chance of surviving.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Might I just say that the Australian industry isn't doing all that much better. No one is buying cars at the moment, but the advantage that we have is that most of our manufacturers make more small cars than large, so they've got half a chance of surviving.

Err, pardon?

Autralia has four car manufacturers. oops, three - Mitsubishi just shut down.

Holden (GM) makes commodores (in Adelaide). 6 or 8 cylinder.
Ford makes falcons (in Geelong). 6 or 8 cylinder.
Toyota makes camrys (near Melbourne). 4 or (I think) 6 cylinder.
Mitsubishi made 380s (in Adelaide, aka deadelaide). 6 cylinder.

While each brand does have smaller cars on the market, they are (AFAIK) all imports. Locally made cars are all medium to large family cars. Which was why Mitsubishi shut down when the price of petrol went through the roof. Ducks, can you confirm?

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Err, pardon?

Autralia has four car manufacturers. oops, three - Mitsubishi just shut down.

Holden (GM) makes commodores (in Adelaide). 6 or 8 cylinder.
Ford makes falcons (in Geelong). 6 or 8 cylinder.
Toyota makes camrys (near Melbourne). 4 or (I think) 6 cylinder.
Mitsubishi made 380s (in Adelaide, aka deadelaide). 6 cylinder.

While each brand does have smaller cars on the market, they are (AFAIK) all imports. Locally made cars are all medium to large family cars. Which was why Mitsubishi shut down when the price of petrol went through the roof. Ducks, can you confirm?

Mostly 6's because there's not the market for 8's here as much although we know Ford and Holden make their performance vehicles for the rev heads.

Toyota make mostly 4's. (Aurion is the only 6 manufactured here whilst Camry, the 4 is by far the biggest seller)

And of course, Mitsubishi aren't doing so well are they?

My point was that we don't make a whole heap of 4wd's and large specialty vehicles like Hummers for example. Yes we do make 6's and 8's here, but I think in general, most of them are pretty average verging on small compared to US manufactured vehicles.

[TheMercenary]

Well Ford would make a killing if they started to import the same cars they have in the UK, with the steering wheel on the proper side, unlike the UK. The diesels over there have fantastic gas milage.

[SquidGirl]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Well Ford would make a killing if they started to import the same cars they have in the UK, with the steering wheel on the proper side, unlike the UK. The diesels over there have fantastic gas milage.

The auto industry and the oil industry are so intertwined that they don't want fuel efficiency as it will affect profits. Want to watch a good documentary? "Who killed the electric car" It goes over the Hybrid test back in the 90s in California and how well they worked, but how the oil industry didn't support it, resulting in a pull of their test models to demolish (actually had to return their car and let them be taken to an empty lot until they take them to crush them all). Good documentary.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Well Ford would make a killing if they started to import the same cars they have in the UK, with the steering wheel on the proper side, unlike the UK. The diesels over there have fantastic gas milage.

They have cleaner diesel in Europe so their emissions on American fuel probably wouldn't pass. VW finally got their diesel cleared, so its possible. [shrug]

[tw]

"Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry." So I could not even abandon it in the river. Just another way my GM product costs more money.

[Aliantha]

What, graduates aren't useful?

[SquidGirl]

Sorry, all...I buy Toyota. I've has more luck with foreign cars.

I don't think we need our tax money to step in, I think they have other options and opportunity, they just want to be proud and not sell off. They are their own business, let them take care of it. I do wonder how much unemployment tax payers money goes towards laid off autoworkers in comparison to the tax money thought to help fix them.

[TheMercenary]

I think it has been a secret of the car industry here for years. They, US car makers, have been making cars over there that get 30-50 miles per gallon. It's bullshit. I think the UAW has something to do with it because the engines are made over there.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Truly, a Renaissance man.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I think it has been a secret of the car industry here for years. They, US car makers, have been making cars over there that get 30-50 miles per gallon. It's bullshit. I think the UAW has something to do with it because the engines are made over there.

Years ago my Uncle had one of those little VW pickups with a diesel engine 50plus mpg and ran forever.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

Years ago my Uncle had one of those little VW pickups with a diesel engine 50plus mpg and ran forever.

I was so disappointed. My 1990s Honda Civic never got better than 49 MPG on consecutive tanks of gasoline.

Meanwhile, what every post forgot to mention. Europeans cars were being designed by people who innovate. Mercedes had performed massive innovation in diesels to make more use of the fuel and significantly lower emissions. Meanwhile, that bus or truck you are following? That is the best innovation from any accountant. How to make a diesel pollute less? Yes, low sulfur fuel is necessary (and we have burned most of that already). But the solution to less emissions is to burn more of that fuel into energy. Lower pollution also means more horsepower and better MPG - when you get your facts from those who do the work - not from MBA trained management.

The solution is not diesels (even though diesels do adapt better to changing loads). The solution is directly traceable to auto companies who did ZERO innovation except when required by government regulation.

Let's see. The Europeans did diesel innovation. Japanese did gasoline innovation (ie hybrids). Americans did what? GM still makes engines without overhead cams (1970 innovation), still makes cars with sub-70 hp/liter engines (1980 innovation), and no hybrids (1990 innovation that even the US government paid for - see the Ford Prodigy and GM Precept - 1999 American hybrids quashed by communists such as Rick Wagoner).

Oh. GM spent $1billion on hydrogen fueled vehicles when anyone with basic high school science or some college training in thermodynamics knows a hydrogen fueled vehicle always was a myth. And according to that Washington Post article, GM is still wasting money on hydrogen fueled vehicles.

Just more examples of a communist bean counter (ie Rick Wagoner) throwing money at problems like a grenade because he does not even drive a car.