A note to GM and Ford: You aren't losing to the Japanese because they make better cars. Some people think that they do, some think that they don't. You are losing to Japanese carmakers because they make cars that Americans want to buy, and you refuse to. Here's a car that Americans want to buy. In light of high gas prices, Americans want fuel-efficient cars that produce low emissions, and they want those fuel efficient cars at a low price. American carmakers, seeing this, refuse to change thier public image by producing such cars, and hope that they will somehow prosper by continuing to produce large, dirty, expensive, gas-guzzling SUV's. Japanese carmakers, seeing the aforementioned trend in American car tastes, make an image of themselves centered around clean, inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars. And they outsell American carmakers. The U.S. Auto industry can make fuel-efficient cars if they want to. It's just cheaper to make slightly less efficient ones. They are also capable of engineering these cars to be safe, so that mass lost in engineering up fuel efficiency does not translate into higher fatalities in crashes. They just do not wish to because they fear that it will increase production costs and put them out of business. Will it increase production costs? Yes. But Detroit will be far better off with the standards than without them. Why? Because if Americans see Detroit producing fuel-efficient cars, they will buy American cars again. How do I know this is the case? Because Toyota is so scared that American carmakers will have to build cars that will compete with their cars that they lobby against the hightened standards right along with American carmakers.

A note to GM and Ford: You aren't losing to the Japanese because they make better cars. Some people think that they do, some think that they don't. You are losing to Japanese carmakers because they make cars that Americans want to buy, and you refuse to.

Here's a car that Americans want to buy. In light of high gas prices, Americans want fuel-efficient cars that produce low emissions, and they want those fuel efficient cars at a low price. American carmakers, seeing this, refuse to change thier public image by producing such cars, and hope that they will somehow prosper by continuing to produce large, dirty, expensive, gas-guzzling SUV's. Japanese carmakers, seeing the aforementioned trend in American car tastes, make an image of themselves centered around clean, inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars. And they outsell American carmakers.

The U.S. Auto industry can make fuel-efficient cars if they want to. It's just cheaper to make slightly less efficient ones. They are also capable of engineering these cars to be safe, so that mass lost in engineering up fuel efficiency does not translate into higher fatalities in crashes. They just do not wish to because they fear that it will increase production costs and put them out of business.

Will it increase production costs? Yes. But Detroit will be far better off with the standards than without them. Why? Because if Americans see Detroit producing fuel-efficient cars, they will buy American cars again. How do I know this is the case? Because Toyota is so scared that American carmakers will have to build cars that will compete with their cars that they lobby against the hightened standards right along with American carmakers.