Bailout?

I was doing some doddling about the nets the last day or so, looking at my favorite '58-'60 Detroit iron, basically to remind myself of the car(s) I could have had if I had decided to go all-Amish at the lodge. This reminded me that aside from my occasional fixation with the Sky and new Challenger, the only reason I'd ever buy a brand new car was if I hit the Powerball. Even then, I'd have to really, really like the thing. The newness would likely wear-off pretty fast anyway so it's a non-issue. 

This realization dovetailed into a discussion, and later, online forum about the big 3's woes. Taking three corporate jets to beg for money wasn't a smart PR move, but if we're talking about wasting cash, the damn things were likely burning an equal amount of green sitting there on standby. Still, bonehead stupid. Anyway....the thing is, non-car people, the ones buying the new machines every few years, should really be paying attention here. If you think GM and Chrysler just build and sell cars and employ lots of folks then you're not seeing the big picture. Forget about auto-specific details for a moment and consider the conveniences and advancements that trickle down the chain to everyday life. It's like saying Ma Bell was just a phone carrier and ignoring the fact their R&D launched satellites, developed the transistor and brought us microwave communication. 

Having a job that occasionally reminds me the lengths these manufacturers must go to to qualify a simple part really drives these facts home. If these things weren't qualified and developed for mass use by the big guys you and I would likely not be able to afford the technology. Advancements in plastics, improved lighting (not just on cars), communication equipment, lightweight metals, and things as innocuous as glass and rubber. I'm not saying the slack wouldn't be taken up by the other automakers, I'm just saying there's a lot more for the average joe to consider than domestic vehicles.

Here's the other fly in the ointment. The guys that bleed the red, white and blue and who should really be up in arms about this stuff are the ones watching from the sidelines and not on the field. Why? Because these guys are more interested in what Detroit USE TO MAKE. They want chrome and V8's and big station wagons with glass packs, the kind of stuff that's hardly PC and, despite what these guys occasionally claim, would kill the big 3 faster than they're doing to themselves Why? Because even if such "retro" stuff were offered, the same guy crowing about how GM is blowing it by not offering a retro-finned car is always going to want the real thing. And he'll typically make up his mind about the time the new car hits the showroom. Such a buy might also question blowing 35 grand on a new car with old-skool style when they can get a low miles original for 20k. No matter how hard the manufacturers try, big blocks, rim blow horns and chrome bumpers will never be made again. Whether it be safety, cost, or what have you. 

Back to the thread, the question was, What Domestic Cars are you Going to Miss the Most?

Excellent question, btw. Answers included the new stuff that actually has passion and identity, like the Corvette, Mustang, CTS, Solstice, and Jeep. But by far it was stuff that hasn't been made in 30 years. Ask a gearhead this question 30 years ago and they'd likely throw out an answer another 30 years back. Let's face it. The guys with gasoline in their veins aren't hot and bothered by new cars from anyone, anywhere. If something catches their fancy, like the new Camaro, they're not first-in-line with cash in hand.

I enjoyed this response:

Since I don't personally care for Japanese cars, can't afford German cars, don't really want Korean cars, and Swedish cars are just weird - it probably means that I won't be buying any more new cars ever and my yard will start to look like a street in Cuba. Hell my whole town will look like Cuba. Without the health care.

Someone else turned the tables and hypothetically posed the question what if Toyota were shuttering their doors, what cars of theirs would you miss? Ummm. Well......

Politics and back stabbing aside, it's a helluvadeal. It's easy to point fingers and ask how such companies can make big gas-guzzling SUVs and then ask for a handout, and the answer is simple. Americans wanted them and were willing to pay for them, until gas got pricey. Is this really your best question? For Chrissakes. Pre-Iacocca Chrysler screwed the pooch by building cars the public didn't want and didn't order. Post-Iacocca Chrysler screws the pooch by giving the public what it wants and continuing to deliver on orders. Sounds like there might be more to this. Hmmm?

The real question to these guys should be what have you been doing in parallel development this whole time? Dual-mode hybrids are a good start, but let's be serious. One thing's for sure, everybody's got an opinion.