Car Buyers Flee SUVs, Prius Sales Triple

SoCalMike wrote:

>im sure the unions would have agreed to concessions, IF the
>top brass were willing to as well. the top brass never does.

GM is so stupid that it once announced record bonuses for its
executives just days before demanding concessions from the union
employees. It hasn't gotten any smarter since then.

On Thu, 05 May 2005 23:26:51 -0400, Magnulus wrote:

>
> "SoCalMike" > wrote in message
> ...
>> the "le car" wasnt necessarily bad, and the "alliance" won a few awards
>> in its time. a cow orker had a pug 505sti (i think) and it was an
>> interesting car. quirky. i remember he had to get tires special ordered.
>
> All I know about Peugots and Citroens is from watching rally races and
> playing rally games .

Wow. Do you know the real world from playing GTA San Andreas too?

> Still, they look like good cars.

And you determined that from some pixels on a video game screen?

Renault, Citroen and Peugeot are consistently at the very bottom end of
reliability and longevity statistics, for good reason.

> And I do remember as a kid they had Renault in the US.

Yeah, and they became almost as much of a joke as the Yugo.

Chris

On Fri, 06 May 2005 05:16:24 -0500, max wrote:

> We had a Citroen when my father was stationed in w. germany. Fine car,
> reliable, autobahn-fast, with a bitchin' hydraulic-pneumatic
> suspension that let you select ride height. (helpful for those alpine
> blizzards. This squawking about French car quality is little more than
> frog-bashing.

Your dad apparently was one of the few lucky ones - or your memory just
blocked all the bad stuff like memory tends to do. The french cars are not
on the bottom end of any reliability and longevity statistics for no
reason.

I bought a 5 year old Renault Le Car with a bit more than 50000 miles
for parts. When trying to jack it up to remove suspension parts, the jack
broke through the floor. The rocker panels were irreparably rusted, the
whole exhaust system fell off by itself when I loosened the first bolt,
the electrical system was shot.

I suggest you go try a french car for a while, so you can find out first
hand, that that's not frog-bashing but the simple truth.

Chris

>GM is so stupid that it once announced record bonuses for its
>executives just days before demanding concessions from the union
>employees. It hasn't gotten any smarter since then.

wow

what year was that?

>> There are over 40 2005 SUV models that get over 25 mpg according to the
>> Dept
of Energy. The extra money you pay for a hybrid takes 20 years to recover
because of the price of gas. People are not too smart.

My Hyundai Accent 2003 just got 40mpg on a 280 mile trip at 70-75 mph for
much of the trip. It has a gas engine only. Accent has a 10yr, 100,000
mile warranty.

The Prius has about 24 battery cells which are covered by an 8 yr warranty
and cost about $200USD per cell. IIRC, the Prius claims about 60 mpg for
the highway.

At about $12k for the Accent vs about $27k for the Prius, some Prius buyers
are not too smart.

Rod Speed wrote:
> casioculture > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>L Sternn wrote
>>
>>>casioculture > wrote
>
>
>>>>Detroit car makers really need to get back to the
>>>>basics. Their problems are not with the workers or
>>>>the unions as they often seem to make it out to be.
>
>
> Bull****. Thats the main current problem costs wise.
>
>
>>>Unions are not their only problem, but
>>>they do add to the cost of production.
>
>
> Massively, too, particularly with health care and pension costs.


Hey bowel boy, those of us who work worry about health care. Only
welfare leeches like you have no problem.
>
>
>>Detroit isn't competing with sweathsop nations,
>>it's competing with Japan and Europe.
>
>
> And Korea.
>
>
>>The Japanese and Europeans have far more egalitarian
>>labor laws and much stronger union traditions,
>
>
> Bull**** with the Japs.
>
>
>>yet you'd hardly ever hear their (relatively) modestly-paid executives
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
>
>>use unions, workers pittance,
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
>
>>corporate tax or other social issues as excuses for failure.
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****, particularly
> with european car manufacturers.
>
>
>>>>Their problem is in their hedious corporate thinking.
>
>
> Not much evidence that any 'thinking' is involved.
>
> I've always maintained that the main problem with the
> US car industry is that anyone with a clue avoids it like
> the plague and gets involved in the other much more
> viable industrys instead in the last half century or so.
>
> The Japs didnt have that option for a long time after the war.
>
>
>>>Could you explain exactly what you mean by that?
>
>
>>>>Look at Renault, france is a country with considerable
>>>>social responsibility, yet Renault has wonderful designs
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
> Germany is a MUCH better example.
>
>
>>>>that are smart, economical,
>
>
> Mainly because of the frog legislation.
>
>
>>>>and very, very safe
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
>
>>>And they don't run very well either, which probably contributes
>>>to their safety. They can't hurt anyone if they're not on the road.
>
>
>>>That's been my experience with Renault, anyway.
>
>
>>Your experience is likely outdated.
>
>
> Nope.
>
>
>>Renault of the 2000s is much different from that of the 1980s.
>
>
> It'd want to be.
>
>
>>GM of the 1980s though remains GM of the 1980s,
>
>
> True. Tho going bust may well put a decent bomb under them on that.
>
>
>>a relic of Reaganite greed,
>
>
> Pathetic, really.
>
>
>>still making horrendous cars,
>
>
> Complete duds, anyway.
>
>
>>with an atrocious safety record.
>
>
> Thats mindless hyperbole.
>
>
>>>If Renault is so great, why can't they sell cars here?
>
>
>>They're more interested in emerging markets.
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
> They realise they aint gotta hope in hell in the US market.
>
>
>>That's where the growth it.
>
>
> More mindless pig ignorant bull****.
>
>
>>Besides, they own Nissan,
>
>
> Lie.
>
>
>>which sells cars in the US.
>
>
>


--

On Thu, 5 May 2005, Magnulus wrote:

>
> "Robert Morrisette" > wrote in message
> ...
>> There are over 40 2005 SUV models that get over 25 mpg according to the
> Dept
>> of Energy. The extra money you pay for a hybrid takes 20 years to recover
>
> How are you figuring that? what SUV models would those be... maybe Honda
> or Toyota, not American-built SUV's.
>

I'm not seeing it, either:

<http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byMPG.htm>

and, getting "over 25 mpg" is no great shakes, anyway.

On Fri, 6 May 2005, Sam wrote:

>>> There are over 40 2005 SUV models that get over 25 mpg according to the
>>> Dept
> of Energy. The extra money you pay for a hybrid takes 20 years to recover
> because of the price of gas. People are not too smart.
>
> My Hyundai Accent 2003 just got 40mpg on a 280 mile trip at 70-75 mph for
> much of the trip. It has a gas engine only. Accent has a 10yr, 100,000
> mile warranty.
>
> The Prius has about 24 battery cells which are covered by an 8 yr warranty
> and cost about $200USD per cell. IIRC, the Prius claims about 60 mpg for
> the highway.
>
> At about $12k for the Accent vs about $27k for the Prius, some Prius buyers
> are not too smart.

why does everyone think it's ONLY about money saved?
what about gasoline saved?
we can make more money, we can't make more oil...

barbie gee wrote:
>
>
> On Fri, 6 May 2005, Sam wrote:
>
>>>> There are over 40 2005 SUV models that get over 25 mpg according to the
>>>> Dept
>>
>> of Energy. The extra money you pay for a hybrid takes 20 years to recover
>> because of the price of gas. People are not too smart.
>>
>> My Hyundai Accent 2003 just got 40mpg on a 280 mile trip at 70-75 mph for
>> much of the trip. It has a gas engine only. Accent has a 10yr, 100,000
>> mile warranty.
>>
>> The Prius has about 24 battery cells which are covered by an 8 yr
>> warranty
>> and cost about $200USD per cell. IIRC, the Prius claims about 60 mpg for
>> the highway.
>>
>> At about $12k for the Accent vs about $27k for the Prius, some Prius
>> buyers
>> are not too smart.
>
>
> why does everyone think it's ONLY about money saved?
> what about gasoline saved?
> we can make more money, we can't make more oil...
>

One word - biodiesel.

You will pay more at the pump, that is until gas prices exceed the
current 3.10 per gallon cost of biodiesel. Out here on the west coast,
that could well be this summer.

On doing some research, I've also found that some of the newer
volkswagon diesels get really good milage.

brigid

sgtsam wrote:
> Car Buyers Flee SUVs, Prius Sales Triple
> May 4, 2005
>
> U.S. consumer interest in SUVs dropped sharply in April as people
> turned to more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Good news! I figured that gas prices would *eventually* wear
down the love affair between those behemoths and the hogs who
drive them.

--
Cliff