NADA chair says fuel-efficient vehicles are the way to built market share
Automotive News says (subs req'd) that a Buick, Pontiac, GMC and Cadillac dealer in Lawrence, Kan. told the National Automobile Dealers Association this week that the way the Detroit 3 can turn their troubles to triumph is by designing and building more fuel-efficient vehicles. For proof, he pointed to a 37 percent increase in hybrid sales in the U.S. The dealer, Dale Willey, also said innovative cars (he cited the Buick Enclave and Ford Edge) must be part of the equation.Willey said a U.S. House of Representatives bill that increases corporate average fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks to 32 to 35 mpg by 2022 is "the only bill that calls for responsible CAFE reform." The NADA as a whole supports the House bill instead of a somewhat similar (35 mpg by 2020) bill in the Senate. The bill "would pose a significant threat to vehicle choice, safety and affordability."
[Source: Ryan Beene / Automotive News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 1:09PM (10/11/2007)
An automaker can gain market share by selling vehicles people really want to buy (ref: Economics 101).
Fuel efficiency will be a key factor in our automotive future. But we've already been down the path of fuel efficient cars people didn't care about. Remember the Chevy Sprint? A friend's Sprint regularly got 50+ mpg on trips. But they were largely unloved and spent a lot of time sitting on dealship lots (even my friend eventually traded hers in rather than replace the clutch).
So if you want to sell me a 35mpg car, don't just hack something together in a hurry; create something I'll want to own. BTW, it should actually meet my needs, too. I have 3 kids in car seats. Where's my 35mpg car that has 3 LATCH safety seat positions?
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