Please explain why Auto Companies and Auto Workers are against having fuel efficiency/mpg standards increased?

Question

This is very perplexing...I don't understand why American auto companies and their workers would be against this. It seems if their vehicles got more miles per gallon, people would be more inclined to buy their cars.

Everyone I know buys foreign cars for the better gas mileage...so why wouldn't the American companies and workers want to be more competitive?

If anyone can explain this, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you could cite your sources, that would be great as a friend is writing a paper on this. Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

Clearly, you live in the city... I'll bet a liberal-thinking coastal city. Your view is provincial. In Middle America, you scarcely ever see a foreign car. And if you're a union tradesman, you better not show up on a jobsite driving a non-union-built foreign truck. That UAW sticker is in the window for a reason.

The American automakers think their business model works very well, thank you. Why on earth would they change it!?

Speaking of "Earth" and provincial thinking... that is actually likely to be their undoing. GM/Ford are AMERICAN automakers, they identify America as their primary market. Toyota is a WORLD automaker. They don't identify Japan as their primary market. They see at markets throughout the world, one of which happens to be America.

See, America thinks provincially. We think we run the world. We don't. It won't be long before more new cars are sold in India than in the United States. And soon, China too. GM and Ford are the big fish in a smaller and smaller pond.

Answer 2

Because the average american consumer is so short sited. It's easy to sell power because it's benefits are evident now, whereas the benefits of fuel efficiency aren't realized until sometime down the road, which makes it harder to sell because it's an investment, which isn't something America is good at considering the average American is in debt. I could care less about the American auto worker, because it was America that essentially globalized this world, and if we keep producing an inferior product then it's our own fault that we can't compete with better manufacturers overseas. The auto industry is the fastest growing contributor to CO2 emissions which are largely responsible for global warming, and if the American auto makers want to have a large market share in the future, they better take it upon themselves to increase their fuel efficiency or it will become so economically unattractive to do business with them that they will send themselves out of business.

Answer 3

Have you seen the sales of the Ford Mustang lately they have sky rocketed and they dont get good gas milage. I live in California i see more American cars in my town then imports i would rather get 6mpg and have massive amounts of power rather then get 20mpg buying some P.O.S. foreign car thats the problem with American people is we have our head to far up Asia's *** to see that we are putting people out of work because you buy something that gets better gas millage GM has increased fuel economy and power the reason they dont want increased fuel economy is it will kill the muscle car market the people who went and bought a Chevelle or a GTO or a Charger, Challenger, or even an old mustang, not because it looked cool but because it had sh*tload of power. Power costs fuel economy, but I want my car to have over 200hp and will get up and go. The Corvette if this law passes will go to pot just like it did in the 80's. The only reason people buy imports is because they are to d*m dumb to notice that they are just following the trend, and because we have a lip di*k government that wont go in Iraq Iran and all those countrys in the middle east and tell them if gas prices go up we increase your prices twice what you increased ours and our government needs to launch an investigation of oil companys that made record profits last year making more money in a minute then the average American makes in two years.

Answer 4

1st of all, American Auto Companies are NOT against fuel economy!

http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=50282

Ford already has THE most fuel efficient SUV:
http://news.hspn.com/articles/1153/1/Ford-Vehicles-Among-quotGreener-Choicesquot-According-to-GreenerCarscom/Page1.html

http://www.hybridcars.com/gas-saving-tips/maximizing-mileage-ford-escape-hybrid.html

{{and is the leader in alternative fuels vehicles, btw}}

Honda & Nissan have been exposed for 'faulty' odometers, which tick off more miles than actually occur.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/AUTO01/702200320/1148/rss25

Sure they are extending warranties, but what about the inaccuracies in their gas mileage? Haven't these owners been duped into believing that they were getting more miles to the gallon?

The "big 3" have done more for North America and the economy here than ALL of the foreign manufacturers combined:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/pf/Auto_News/Commentary/At_Witz_End_Whats_an_American_Car.S192.A11981.html

And by the way, to the person suggesting that American Auto Manufacturers don't know about other countries....
Here's the link to Fords Global sites:

http://www.ford.com/en/company/about/countrySites/default.htm?referrer=home

Answer 5

GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have a selfish commercial interest in selling luxury cars with poor gas milage, because they are the most profitable vehicles they produce.

As for the United Auto Workers, the leadership of that union has a longstanding and profoundly misguided policy of uncritically and unconditionally supporting the policies of GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, no matter how much they may harm the interests of auto workers, or the working class public as a whole.

Answer 6

Your premise is flawed. Fuel economy at the expense of speed and power won't sell cars. Neither will setting artificial standards that are impossible to achieve without raising prices to the point where customers won't pay the price. As to sources, tell your 'friend' to do his own homework.

And your 'friends' that are buying foreign are part of the problem.