Big 3 Decline: Blame the Prius

Hey! That's Drew Sheneman's cartoon from the Star Ledger! It's nice to see his work is getting printed outside of NJ.

Car of the future!! - NJVoices: Sheneman's Sketchpad

 

There is definitely the potential for serious economic backlash. It will depend on how much of the true story gets into the msm. If the average Amercian realizes that his american dream ahs been exported, look out.

 

well hopefully, the big 3 will go into chapter 11, reorganize, downsize a bit and come out ready to build something worth buying.

 

I have been driving Amapola for almost a year now and have ~16K on the
ODO. Most of the time/miles are in the local Ballamer area, but we've been
as far afield as Maine and Florida. With only a single exception, I haven't
been harassed/targeted by anti-hybrid/Prius behaviors.

That said, looking at the cartoon, the hair on the back of my neck stood
on end. I felt like I was in cross-hairs of a sniper's scope.

Depicting the Prius as the receiver of the "Green," is surely within the
artist's license, but it is an unfortunate choice. The image, meant to
highlight the Big 3's unpreparedness, will more likely be misunderstood and
become the basis for scapegoating and the release of deeply felt
frustrations as the strangle hold of the general economic situation
becomes more and more evident as we move through 2009 and into 2010.

 

It is not obvious that the cartoonist's intent is to blame the Prius for the difficulties suffered by the Big 3, contrary to the title of this string.

Rather, the cartoon could be saying that in order for the Big 3 to come up with a Prius wannabee, they will need government funding.

 

i think the cartoonist is saying the obvious...

the big 3 needs to realize that Toyota had a good idea and they should have copycatted. Ford did it, and they are closest to staying solvent on their own. one of GM's problems (they are many) is reputation...they pretty much trashed it in their handling of alternative vehicles. now most people dont look at GM because of that and price and quality have nothing to do with it.

 

Is that a Touring?

 

Isn't the U$ Dollar sometimes called a green back?

I'm not very good at the hidden meanings, I took the cartoon literally, the green technology is the U$ Dollar from the tax payer. Yeah, I know boring, it's what's written in the speech bubbles.

 

I think the cartoon would have made more sense if they'd pictured a big gas-guzzling Chevy instead of a Prius.

 

Makes no sense to me.
If they want to blame the Prius, then I guess competition isn't part of the American economic system any more?
Survival of the fittest certainly isn't!

 

What the cartoon is saying, is: give the big three a ton of money, and they will make a car like the Prius. Whereas Toyota made it on their own, with their own money, at a time when it wasn't even needed either.