Fuel Economy = Big Bucks?

Here is whay I read today in an article about the North American Auto Show in Detroit:

Every automaker has given a glimpse over the past two days of its strategies for dealing with tougher U.S. fuel economy regulations, rising oil prices and a surge of global warming rules around the globe. While Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have pledged new hybrids, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have touted a variety of approaches. Ford Motor Co. has bet big on a single technology.

But in interviews with the Free Press, Detroit executives said the technical hurdles to meeting a 35-m.p.g. standard by 2020 were less difficult than getting customers to accept the changes and extra costs that come along with the goal.

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the show that the new U.S. rules would cost the industry $5,000 to $7,000 per vehicle, with much higher costs possible for some models.

Yeah...right.

Funny that I own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, 4-cylinder, hatchback that STILL gets more than 30 MPG. Know what I paid for it NEW? $9,700. Does Hyundai know something that Ford and GM don't about fuel technology? Is my car made out of some super light material with a hyper-aerodynamic design? I think not. Maybe the technology in my car cost Hyundai $7,000 and the rest of the car only cost them $2,500? Maybe.

You can get a brand new Hyundai Accent for $10,700 - list prince - and the MPGs listed on the web site are 33. This is with NO Hybrid technology, mind you. Just good, efficient design.

So how come it is going to take another 12 years for the American automakers to catch up to the Koreans? It is such a joke. Just another excuse to jack up car prices and stick it to the American consumer while continuing to support our dependence on foreign oil while harming our environment.

Greed - priceless.