GM Makes Hybrid moves with Malibu and Shanghai Bus

Global warming might be intensifying according to new predictions announced in the last few days.
 
China is raising fuel-efficiency requirements higher than the United States because of a growing reliance upon foreign oil and severe pollution problems.
 
Oil prices continue to rise, and uncertainty is the only certainty for the future of petro.
 
Something had to happen.

Late Friday, GM announced that it would begin building its Malibu hybrid car, beginning in 2007, for the 2008 model year.
 
Additionally, GM announced that it had formed a partnership with Chinese company, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp., to develop a hybrid bus to see if the Chinese government is interested such technology.

Already, China has signed a partnership with Toyota to develop hybrid cars in China based on the Toyota Prius hybrid car.
 
This development, along with China's announcement that it would be raising fuel-efficiency requirements on all cars sold in the country, had to have been a slap on the face of Detroit - having put all their eggs in the SUV and other less fuel-efficient developments.

While the GM announcements are newsworthy, they are not very significant, unfortunately.

If the Malibu is going to be GM's first real effort at a hybrid car, it is still at least 4 years away from being a serious competitor of the Prius, or of any of the other hybrid cars about to hit the market, such as the Accord Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, or Lexus RX Luxury Hyrbid.

Developing a good relationship with China is also definitely a step in the right direction. Many auto analysts see the future of the automobile industry playing out in this emerging consumer giant.

Yet, American automakers are now at a disadvantage gaining entry into the Chinese market due to an over-reliance upon the SUV market.

Following years of pretending that pollution would never be an issue, and that oil's effect on terrorism and war wouldn't be taken seriously, Detroit has often sacrificed the future for short term profit. But, alas, the American consumer isn't as dumb as Detroit has assumed.

Furthermore, when the Chinese government takes pollution more seriously than the American legislative branch - even when the Pentagon asserts that global warming is the most significant threat to national security - one has to question the corporate vision of the Big 3 'American' automakers.

What other assumption is there to make, but that the Big 3 have not been interested in a better America? Their motivation has been money - at almost any cost - even the future of America.

While the American auto-industry still has time for redemption, that time is running out. 

Anyone can understand the importance of profit, but profit at the expense of American freedom can never be acceptable to the American people - the most important consumers of American cars.

Tick. Tick. Tick.