Was Detroit stupid to emphasize SUV's over fuel efficient cars?

Question

Could be the reason why their paying such a heavy price now against the imports. Looks like greed clouds the mind.

Answer 1

Detroit gave in to the epidemic of stupidity over the last decade and happily built SUV's (simply trucks with station wagon bodies). Now consumers have realized that what they really wanted was good looking tall station wagons, so Detroit has created the very reasonable "Crossover" segment, and is gradually phasing out SUV's as demand finally falls off.

All publicly traded companies like auto makers exist only to make profits paid to their shareholders. Regardless the industry, such companies tend to fulfill market needs however relevant or inane.

Answer 2

Is it stupid to make cars that a fickle car-buying public wanted? If so, the Japanese fell into that same trap with their recent introduction of big SUV's and trucks.
It makes no sense that a Crossover (a jacked up station wagon) would sell better than a minivan; but they sure do. There's a whole lot more going on here than just Japanese econoboxes. Look back a few years at the now-gone makes. Did Studebaker, British Leyland, American Motors, etc. all disappear due to greed?

Answer 3

Stupid is the wrong word. Short-sighted would be better. There was huge demand at the time. And the stock market/investors place huge pressure on businessmen to be short sighted. All that matters is today's stock price.

Now, the people who created that demand were stupid.

Answer 4

properly if youre cool with the quantity of funds ure spending on gas yeah, by potential of all potential they could close up. yet my female pal says the comparable best ingredient approximately her truck and how she feels the toddlers are safer and that i tell her that she would be able to purely get a smaller SUV with a low V-6 on it (like a three.4 or 4.0 liters) and that they b merely as shelter and with plenty extra to eat in the refrigerator and toys to play with with all that funds shes saving on gas.

Answer 5

They are empasizing SUV's because thats what the american public is buying. They were catering to our tastes, and when things started to change ie gas prices, they weren't prepared for it.