Actually, I agree with Mercor. When I lived in L.A. ('98-'07) the smallest engine I saw was on a Japanese car and it was a 1.5 litres. In Europe it would be a good size. On the other hand, there were plenty of massive pickups and SUVs.
To be fair to Bush, Obama's give-aways are far larger and more blatant than a hypothetical Bush Whitehouse's would have been. But in essence you are correct. Both parties know that voters overwhelming approve of and expect a government solution for any problem whatsoever. Voters have made their desire for massive government well known for years, not just the recent presidential election.
Indeed, that's the company line that GM, Ford, and Chrysler have been spouting off for years. Odd isn't it that while they repeated that mantra, "Americans don't want small cars" VW, Toyota, Datsun, Nissan, Hundai, Suzuki, Honda, Kia, etc. sales just kept climbing? And those latter companies, while in some trouble, are surviving. Could it be that the Big Three were wrong all those years?
Another $8,000,000,000 worth of tax payers money. I think im going to stop by a Chrysler dealership this weekend, if any are still open, and see if I can pick up a nice used 2009 model for about 50% off the sticker price. There already $5000 off msrp, whats another $10,000 or so, after all its our company now, we should demand some say. Fuc$ing joke...
Does Obama seriously know what he is talking about?? "The bankruptcy is expected to last 30-60 days" I have never heard of a precise, surgical bankruptcy on such a short timeline...
As disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich would say, "the fix is in." This bankruptcy judge will be nothing more than a puppet for the government and will essentially ignore bankruptcy and other applicable laws to do whatever the Obama Administration wants. When the hedge funds appeal what they believe to be a slam dunk case at the circuit court, Obama will use his populist abilities to cast the hedge funds as 'unpatriotic' and 'greedy.' They will win their appeal, but this country would have taken another giant leap toward communism.
The idiot voters who have been fooled in to thinking that they won't have to pay for the solution because the rich will end up doing that for them. Boy are they in for a surprise.
Funny, but robust sales for the emini cooper, civic, sentra, miata, prius, jetta, and a lot of other cars do not agree with you. Build it VERY RELIABLE and SAFE and GOOD MILEAGE and reasonable comfortable/decent looking like the Honda Civic, and it will sell briskly. Unfortunately, US makers counter with unsafe, boring, will-die-at-120K-miles cars that Americans do not want. Toyota and Honda rarely had difficulty selling such small cars and profiting at it. Toyota builds a high quality, affordable Prius, and GM counters with a $40K Volt. Which do you think Americans will buy in mass?
my Corolla: 1998, bought it in '01 off of a 3-year lease. $10,700 + taxes, etc. 28K on it then 191K on it now. Still runs well with regular maintenances...
So i wish you in the USA the best with FIAT. Those cars are the bigest bullshit ever. I am from Italy :-(((