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Originally Posted by artdutra04
Which brings me back to always wondering why Detroit always insists on fighting new emission and environmental standards with lawyers instead of engineers...  |
Maybe because they let lawyers, not engineers, write the standards. At the direction of politicians.
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Originally Posted by artdutra04
Why not just cut to the chase and sink these millions of dollars straight into research and development to meet the new deadlines? Why not hire more engineers instead of more lawyers?
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The autos also spend beaucoup bucks on market research, so that whatever they decide to build will have buyers. Why aren't there loads of econoboxes out on the roads today? Because up until last year, no one would buy them. They were available (admittedly from foreign makers) but they didn't sell. Detroit decided to put their research into products that might just make them a profit.
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Originally Posted by Rick TYler
Are you claiming that all those thousands of experienced engineers at Ford and Toyota could build a $15,000 electric car tomorrow with the range and capacity of a Honda Accord, but that they choose not to do so for non-technical reasons? That a manufacturer that could easily double their sales if you are right has rejected that option for some hidden, sinister motive? I think you need to think these things through a little bit. They aren't that stupid. Honest.
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Bingo!
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Originally Posted by squirrel
Some of us noticed that the auto industry "cried wolf" a few times in the 1960s-80s, yet they did manage to make cars meet the safety, clean air, and mileage standards set by the government. Maybe that's what Art is talking about?
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Perhaps because then, as now, no one in the world knew how to meet those standards. Rather than complain about dragging feet, perhaps we should be appreciative of what they managed to accomplish.
Remember the Dodge Omni from the early 1980's? A small car. 20 years later the Dodge Intrepid was on the road. A full size model. With better fuel economy and lower emissions than the Omni. I guess those engineers did something right.
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Originally Posted by artdutra04
Honda and Toyota are certainly doing well, so it's not like the entire industry is in shambles and cannot possibly cope with meeting environmental standards.
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Toyota and Honda are doing well primarily because they don't have the tremendous legacy costs of retirees. Until last year, their fuel economy was going
down, as they did the same thing the Big 3 were doing: Bringing out larger and more profitable cars and trucks.