Posted on 01/02/2009 8:16:42 AM PST by taildragger
I always like the transition from one month to another as that is the time all the magazines I subscribe to make their appearances.
This month is no exception with the February 2009 issue of Car & Driver hitting the mailbox last night with a cover story titled, "FUEL-SIPPIN' SHOWDOWN! Can Detroit Build A Better Hybrid?"
(Excerpt) Read more at autospies.com ...
I’ve said it for a while now, if I had lots of cash to play on a long term bet, I’d be buying Ford stock big time. Ford stock and a few dollars a share? Insane, yes, its somewhat of a gamble, but not nearly as risky a long term play (LONG LONG TERM) as the media hype is making it out to be.
Which American brand GM, Ford or Chrysler (or model) is built at a non-union plant?
bump!
Ahh... so those are the cars I see on the trains traveling North from Nogales.
The enclosed freight cars make it difficult to identify the cars inside.
Well, now I'm conflicted. :-) As much as I hate to see U.S. jobs go south of the border, I do enjoy seeing Ford flip off the UAW. If I'm not mistaken, UAW thugs protested his plant's opening a few years ago.
Oh, I'm sure there must be some Mexican labor union to deal with in Sonora... but even if there is, it should just underscore to the UAW that they *are* replaceable. If Ford can't build their cars free of union entanglements, they'll at least move where they can cut a better deal.
My fun yaris HB gets 45mpg hwy and 40 mpg combined...used regular gas...14K out the door (tx, tag, fees incl!)...and after lowering it one inch with some $200 springs, it corners like a rollercoaster car. The golf clubs, the golden retreiver, the camping gear for a w/e away all fit in the back.
$14k and 45 mpg...for an engine that will probably go 250k miles.
Why would someone spend $30k???
In and of themselves, 99.99% of all cars are nothing more than depreciating assets.
I have seen pic's of Yaris's with lowering kits and ground effects skirts. Oh man what a fun little ride. iIt would be nice if Ford brought the "KA" here then maybe I could do the same!
Now I'm sad. I only have one. :-(
Here's my Yari... 
wheels, springs, DVD, front strut, rear sway, rear LED JDM lenses make the total cost 15k. But I need to paint those calipers...they simply look stoopid.
I think your thoughts have merit. Ford will be ok eventually.
I don’t think that ford actually won that hybrid competition. As stated in the article ford got top marks in the subjective categories like “fun to drive.” If you just look at all the measurable and defined categories you will see that ford came in last as usual.
The one’s not built in north america for starters. The UAW only operates in canada and USA.
I think most of the animosity toward UAW labor is directed not at the working people, per se, but at the whole web of inefficient work rules, rampant absenteeism, and shoddy workmanship that has come to characterize the plants where the Big Three and the UAW have negotiated labor contracts. None of this applies to NUMMI, which is covered by a separate UAW contract. So, it is very important to understand that the workplace environment at NUMMI is very different than at, say, the GM plant at Orion, even though both plants employ “UAW” labor.
First, hybrid technology is cumbersome, expensive and inefficient. It is a stopgap technology on the way to electric-drive vehicles.
Second, the only hybrid with a modicum of success is the Prius. All other hybrids were poor sellers as they only had a hybrid label on them instead of the unique Prius that made an environmental statement.
Third, hybrids do not return the extra cost in fuel savings. There is no way to financially justify a hybrid.
Lastly, Americans still want SUVs and pickups. We do not want the Yaris, Fit, Fiesta, Aveo or whatever little sardine-box out there. (this is a generalization)
When extremely fuel efficient SUVs come to market (within 2 years), you will see the jump to those vehicles.
Watch the North American International Auto Show for what is coming....especially from Chrysler.
not sure what your answer means, but my question was-are there any plants of “the big 3” in America that are non union plants. I believe that all of the big 3s plants in the US, regardless of which state they are in are union.
Ford had to license the Toyota hybrid technology because they couldn’t figure out how to make a hybrid drivetrain that worked, that didn’t infringe on Toyota’s patents.
So much of this car you’re crowing over is actually Toyota technology.
My bad. I don’t have access to the print article. I couldn’t see any hard numbers on fuel economy in the web one. It’s not even clear that it’s better fuel-wise, with subjective measures like “got to have it” mixed in.
The cost of ownership issue is still a concern for me, too. It’ll take a few years for Ford to demonstrate that they’ve gotten ahead in the reliability game.
There was an interesting side article in this issue of Car and Driver concerning the VW diesel. Their long-term Jetta TDI diesel so far is netting 37.3 MPG, which is pretty good considering the entire staff of C&D have lead right feet. But the killer for the diesel is that thanks to our own wonderful federal government, the fuel costs around $1 per gallon more than gasoline.
Basically, if diesel were not over-regulated by the EPA, it would be less expensive at the pump than gasoline and the Jetta TDI would be a wonderful alternative to the over-complex hybrids. And given a diesel's longevity, the Jetta TDI and other vehicles like it would provide many years of service.
This is the same place where they were building the Geo Prizm and Corolla next to each other on the line. I’ve owned two Geos (94 & 95, they were $1500-$2000 cheaper than the comparably priced Corolla)and the drivetrain was bulletproof. After a hard run cross country, the 94 (w/88K miles on it) ate a slice of a valve, but continued to run for another 20K miles before I had the engine swapped out for a Toyota one (w/79K on it’s clock). My mother still owns it and it has over 148K now and still strong, with no rust through (she lives in Toledo still). My 95 has 84K, is paid for and is going strong. Brakes on both replaced at 80K.
Now my Wifes 95 Windstar.....Don’t EVEN get me going on that thing! Bought off a lease in 98 w/62K on the clock, paid for an extended warranty, and within the first 3K, had to replace the heads (3.8 V6, crummy engine!) AND transmission at the same time! When the warranty ran out, so did the second transmission! It goes through brakes (Rotors and shoes) every year, and it’s only driven a toal of 12-15K over a year! But since my Wife is disabled and has it fitted for her scooter and lift, we can’t get rid of it. No more Fords for me, Thank you VERY much.
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