How about this?

There are various (controversial) studies about ethanol that show that it costs more energy (and cost more fossil fuels) to produce ethanol than if we'd just consumed the fossil fuel to begin with...

I'm not saying i agree with it, but the issue on the energy implications of ethanol is not closed.

http://healthandenergy.com/ethanol.htm

 

It should be obvious from a tactical and strategic perspective that the United States must do whatever it takes - including firm controls - to reduce foreign energy imports from approx 62% down to 0%.

It's shameful the Big 3 are not doing more to assist with this. Perhaps it will take ration cards to limit fuel consumption, say a max of 8 gallons a week.

Military intervention has resulted in the paradox of *much* higher energy costs. Let's face it, the free ride is over, now everybody has to pay dearly.

 

No. the message I sent is that Toyota deserved my money, while GM and Ford need improvement.

I didn't watch the Daytona 500.

Aren't you sending a mixed message every time you buy (or you personally sell) a Mazda, a Volvo, a Chevy Aveo... etc etc?

Like I said before, I believe the Prius, and hybrid technology is CRITICAL to Toyota's business plan. Hybrid is the most important part of toyota's business for the future, and I truly believe that. We can go through all of this again...

 

Well, I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle, as it usually is. The NEV calculations by various groups that promote E85 - including the USDA - are simplistic and purposely ignore all the feedstock input costs. They pick and chose feedstock inputs that are favorable.

That makes sense: if you promote somethng, you *never* present negative data about it.

Much like how the FAA is supposed to ensure the safety of the flying public, but also promote the industry. Guess which contradictory goal usually wins?

 

Well then, you appear to "get it," at least from my perspective. Your continuing venture into the Bash Toyota camp is thus more puzzling. It should be apparent the true "enemy" - if I may use that word - is every person who uses Credit in some fashion.

Especially as you consider the majority of Credit is now provided by China, Inc.

 

In the short term, clearly the answer is that trucks and SUVs are higher margin... I don't disagree that Toyota is looking for a quick infusion of cash from those markets.

But a long term commitment to trucks and SUVs is a dangerous proposition since it's been shown that the market for such vehicles fluctuates with the price of gas. Toyota's trucks sales tanked last year too after Katrina, so Toyota was no different.

Long term, I think that hybrid is going to pay back much more, and be better for everyone. Toyota is going to sell 1000000 hybrids a year by 2010, and that curve is only going to go up exponentially.

 

Well, as you might imagine, I am not an imperialistic neo-con ..
However, I'd hope that even the most rabid right-winger implicity accepts that a PART of America's military budget is spent on protecting the oil economy. Take your best honest estimate, and add that to the cost of petrol you consume. I think you could validly argue that money stays at least in part in the US economy, but a short peek at the history of the USSR might tell you it is a lousy way to run a business.

I do not wish to be mean, but your ignorance regarding ethanol is well ... embarrassing. Might I suggest you read the Ethanol threads on PC as a start. Ford has E85 vehicles for the PR value, and the CAFE credit. Mid-west corn farmers appreciate the subsidy. I cannot find further value in ethanol, even if I ignore the environmental cost of fertilizer run-off, land degradation, and pesticide use.

 

Ethanol is a neat idea, but just selling vehicles capable of E85 isn't enough.

There are legitimate problems with getting enough distribution infrastructure, and the energy question is a big deal... it's up in the air right now.

This is not free energy by any measure. Just selling a million E85 vehicles isn't going to do you any good if only 1 tenth of a percent actually put E85 into it because of distribution limitations.

 

Regardless, that's a huge problem for ethanol...

Oil companies are not going to like becoming irrelevant. They'll do everything to stop it.

The problem with FFVs is that it'll run with regular gasoline too... there's going to be minimal market demand for ethanol to force the oil companies to yield ... If we want ethanol to work, we need to make it a real federal mandate.... but considering how much power the oil industries wield, that's not likely to happen either.

That's frickin depressing.

 

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte...31/b3945056.htm

Uhm... most of GM's chinese offerings (that are selling well anyhow) are what they inherited from Daewoo.

 

Might an arqument be made that if in the US people are buying more and more Toyotas because of quality differences then why not expect people in Japan to buy more Toyotas because of the better quality AND because it is their domestic brand?
Someone here at PC from Japan had also pointed out that the US auto makers didn't really try to make cars that work in the Japanese market. Do you expect people to buy Explorers and Hummers to drive around the narrow streets there? And gas isn't cheap there like it is here.

Point is, there is a multitude of reasons behind why a Japanese person would buy certain Japanese makes over American makes not the least of which is the quality difference.

 

You want an apology because GM has an internet showroom ??

You are going to have to work harder than that. How about sales figures broken down by model ? I remember it being just about all Daewoo, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 

Bravo. The japanese market is dominated by japanese brands because those brands cater to the market... small cars, high fuel economy... they fit the Japanese usage model

In the same way that GM and Ford are still top of the heap here in America... they sell vehicles (trucks and SUVs) that cater to the American market... but the market here is shifting toward smaller vehicles and crossovers too