With Obama elected, will the auto industry see any changes?
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I have to tell you from the beginning that I am definitely not an expert in politics or economics, so everything I will say next is based on my personal opinion and ideas. Now, with the disclaimer out of the way, I would like to congratulate our new president, Barack Obama.
The reason I started this topic is related to the multiple comments that I have seen on this blog for the past months, comments that somehow connected the auto industry crisis with the upcoming election and the uncertainty of what the future might bring, in terms of who will lead the country through one of its toughest times.
Many of you believe that the cut-backs, layoffs and earnings are related to the uncertainty that sets over the country in the months before every election. Many believed that the BMW’s future plans rely on who will run the country for the next four years and BMWNA’s CEO, Jim O’Donnell confirmed that in an interview back in September:
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[the 4 cylinder turbo engine] will deliver stronger performance in terms of acceleration than the current 6-cylinder, it will deliver lower emissions and will give you better fuel economy; so it is a win, win, win situation. This will be a high tech 4-cylinder engine; obviously turbo charged. We can’t really confirm or deny when it is going to come into the US, or if it is going to come into the US, until after the election and the government makes it clear what is going to be the platform that manufacturers have got to work to.”
Before I will turn this over to you, I would like to expose my point of view. I do believe that up to a certain level, BMW and other car manufacturers were indeed waiting for the election to be over before committing to any future plans. I believe that the Europe car makers are hoping that a shift in the internal and external U.S politics will bring more prosperity and opportunities down the road.
I would love to see quickly if the new president will continue to support the fuel efficiency programs and U.S becoming less dependent on foreign oil.
That's one of the few thungs I actually feared about the guy, just how deep will he jump into the whole global warming thing? I mean before he got into the big political game he bought and drove a Chrysler 300C, so the guy obviously likes big cars with powerful engines.
The democratic party as a whole is a little over the top on climate change, and is completely in the dark about how to solve it/change things other than they seem convinced that's it's only cars. Hello...cars/trucks/semis only account for 20% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, even if you somehow cut that in half you still have the other 90% of what you started with. I've never understood why they haven't targeted homes and infrastructure for re-building our nation's energy plan...things that will be around a lot longer than the next car you buy...instead of possibly enforcing reform on the auto industry which is actually getting really good at what they do with the internal combustion engine.
And, if they took every car older than 20 years old off the road - except for classics which see limited miles - there would be a lot more efficiency right there.
I expect the domestic industry would get money to develop green cars, not necessarily a bad thing since GM and Ford NEED greener models that would work in the US
For example:
Boston and NYC are making cab companies go for green cabs. Except the Escape hybrid the other options are Japanese. (In Boston i saw Camry hybrid cabs, which are not bad but the legroom is horrible since the partition took out half the space) If new cab-specific models can be developed it goes a long way to boost domestic autos just through fleet sales alone.
Domestic cars need to be designed better. Customers are clearly more sophisticated. They care everything from how a car looks to how a car feels. The CTS is a good sign that the American car industry is not dead... yet. But bad plastics, bad design cannot be overcome by heated cup holders. Customers are buyign japanese because they buy better quality with the same money. They are also buying a reliable brand that speaks to their needs. Now that the Japanese are building most of their US models in the US, the American companies can no longer wrap themselves with a flag like they did in the 70s and 80s.
CA rules need to be phased in slower than the current rate. If industry cannot catch up we will end up losing the industry altogether. Diesels SHOULD stop being the enemy. Clean diesels are proven to be possible and they should be embraced instead of shunned (which CA is very active in doing).
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"He is not gay, he's married"
"Oh please! Its right up there with 'He's not gay, he is in a fraternity'"
I thought the president would have input about his limo. Bush dumped Clinton's Caddy for his current monstrosity. Although given the curent economic conditions it is unlikely Obama would want to commission a new limo.
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"He is not gay, he's married"
"Oh please! Its right up there with 'He's not gay, he is in a fraternity'"
I thought the president would have input about his limo. Bush dumped Clinton's Caddy for his current monstrosity. Although given the curent economic conditions it is unlikely Obama would want to commission a new limo.
It was an old design, no?
The limos are donated to SS training after their commission is up. Caddy wanted the new jiggy limo in the public eye!
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Originally Posted by HondaSchmonda
I would give Denard a blowjob while I wear my #16 Michigan jersey
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Originally Posted by Jerm__
maybe your the one that's stupid. It's spelt "Canada", not "canadia"
I thought the president would have input about his limo. Bush dumped Clinton's Caddy for his current monstrosity. Although given the curent economic conditions it is unlikely Obama would want to commission a new limo.
Obama is getting a new limo. A brand new "truck based" Cadillac. Apparently it will look like a DTS but will be built on the GM "topkick" medium duty truck platform.
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