U.S. Auto Industry Still Out of Touch
I was griping some five months ago about the
horrible state of the U.S. auto industry. And apparently the industry still doesn’t get it. Let’s see if GM can get it right, now that the Obama administration pulled the plug on Rick Wagoner’s regime.
No doubt we became a Hummer Nation. And $4/gal. gas prices forced most Hummer drivers to garage their monster vehicles. Heck, Hummer dealerships can’t even stay in business. General Motors was pushing bigger and powerful gas-guzzlers on people looking for better mileage and less maintenance.
Which brings us to Saturn, GM’s one-time darling. I loved their cars. My wife and I have bought three since 2000. We even traded one Saturn in for another Saturn because we liked the brand – and what it stood for – so much. But right after we bought our last one back in 2005 – an L-300 – it lost its brand identity. Suddenly it was style and substance over best-bang-for-the-buck. Out went the basic 30-plus MPG car, in came the less fuel-efficient, more stylish Sky and the Outlook.
And hybrid cars? Just not happening at the rate they should be… or at a cost the average American can afford.
Will the removal of Wagoner be a wake-up call for the auto industry. I doubt it. But we as consumers can hope it puts the industry back in touch with the auto buyer.
