Fuel
economy versus auto jobs - What's more important?
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
No
US Prius competitors any time soon
Fuel economy. In and of
itself, fuel efficiency doesn't sound important. However,
when you add foreign oil dependency into the equation,
fuel economy becomes vital - perhaps the most vital issue
facing America.
Currently, the biggest answer from Detroit to fuel economy
is the Chevy
Volt, followed by small cars and maybe the Ford
Fusion hybrid. Yet, it will be many years before GM
produces 100,000 Volts per year - a number that will have
a minor effect on US foreign oil dependency. Likewise, if
all Americans drove tiny Smart cars, America would still
be terribly dependent upon foreign oil, so small cars are
not enough.
Even new CAFE legislation won't come close to ending
foreign oil dependency. Inevitably, America is pretending
to address foreign oil dependency.
So, if we could put millions of small hybrid
cars, such as the Toyota
Prius and the Honda
Insight - and whom ever else builds them - on the road
per year with the help of tax incentives, why not do it?
Why not send a message that fuel efficiency will be
rewarded for many years? Ultimately, won't ending foreign
oil dependency pay for itself?
Isn't making a serious dent in foreign oil dependency
worth just as much money as saving jobs - jobs that have
been built upon inefficiency?
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