Raise the Hammer

The fuel economy argument is outdated and silly. California in particular has some of the toughest mileage and emission standards in the world and The Detroit Three can meet those.

The Detroit Three's problems are not particularly related to poor fuel economy since they have made great strides in that area in recent times. How many body on frame vehicles are out there? Not many, a few big pick-ups and SUVs, but all the manufacturers use that technology for those vehicles. Their problems are more centred on quality and dependability. Toyota's big vehicles are just as hard on gas, they're just better. The Detroit Three have many (too many?) fuel efficient models, again the problem is with reliability and repair rates. There is no magic, all gas engines have about the same efficiency. A 3000 lb vehicle with a comparable size engine and transmission is going to get similar mileage no matter who makes it. Look at mini-vans they're all similarly sized and powered and all get similar mileage. When spending big bucks on a new vehicle 1 or 2 mpg is not going to sway most peoples decision. Resale value, dependability, fit and finish, and overall quality will.

The American and Canadian Governments have propped up companies building poor vehicles to save jobs and prop up our economy which is heavily dependent on the car industry. At the same time our governments did not insist that foreign governments let our companies compete fairly in their countries, especially Japan. They should have insisted that everyone competes on a level playing field. That probably would have resulted in one of the three going the way of American Motors (remember them?) Gone except for their best vehicles the Jeep line which still exists. The remaining companie(s) would be competitive.

Nothing to do with national fuel standards or gas taxes.