Fuel efficient vehicles Detroit's last chance?

According to a study by the University of Michigan, fuel efficiency is the best way forward for the Big 3 to increase profits and to maintain jobs. (more) While large SUVs have been the most profitable vehicles for the Big 3, this trend, the report claims, cannot and will not continue. New automotive technologies must be utilized, even though they will be expensive in the short term.

"Deploying new technologies takes time and money to accomplish, and time and money are in short supply in Detroit. While management is currently focused on cutting capacity through massive layoffs, they need to undertake a deep transformation to much more fuel-efficient fleets to avoid going under. The dilemma the Detroit automakers face is that while they may believe that they cannot afford to make fuel economy a high priority, in actuality, it turns out that they cannot afford not to."

I say it's just a matter of priorities and vision. As GM's Bob Lutz has claimed, GM could have beat Toyota to hybrid cars by using a fraction of their yearly marketing budget for hybrid vehicle development, instead of for marketing gas-guzzlers.