Perhaps you on to something there, Frank.

More on the "new" truck launch from Detroit News:

"The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram pickup -- equipped with a 5.7-liter Hemi engine -- touts improved horsepower, torque and fuel economy compared to the 2008 version.

The Hemi version of the truck achieves 390 horsepower and 407-pound feet of torque, both of which are best in class, said executives who showed off the truck and the rest of Chrysler's 2009 lineup during a media event Thursday morning at the automaker's proving ground in Chelsea.

Its Multiple Displacement System, a fuel-saving technology that shuts off four of the engine's eight cylinders when they're not needed, helps improve the Hemi's fuel economy by 4 percent.

...

The automaker also unveiled two specialty pickups: A high-performance Ram 1500 R/T model, which goes 0-to-60 miles per hour in less than 6 seconds and a Cummins diesel model "

Best in class? 4% - not 40%? 0-60 in 6.9 seconds for a 4800 lb GVW vehicle? It seems their time machine is still set to 1999.

Even for styling, lets compare all the progress that massive model change investment has brought in these trucks over 15 years:


1994


2009

>This foreign-owned auto industry in the U.S. would be a nonunion industry, and largely southern. The Rust Belt would get rustier.

Why southern ? We have a number of "domestic" plants here in Ontario, Canada: Oshawa (Toronto), Windsor (Detroit). Also a Toyota plant in Alliston ?

My hometown of St. Catharines (Niagara Falls) was a big GM town back in the day. My friend made $20+ an hour as a tradesman in the 1980s while I was making $10 with a college degree. He called it "Generous Motors". Another friend told tales of taking his pillow to work on his summer job.

So far it's looking like GM may shrink back into the US, which makes much sense now that the Canadian and US dollar are within 2 percent of par.


I don't think I've heard the term "Rust Belt" in many years now.

Is the rust-belt now double rusted ? Reduce-able to powder with a light tap ?

I have read, but don't have a link, that GM profits in China are the highest per unit they have ever had. They could close all us operations and still be a world player in automotive.

Oh and they all missed PO, look and the Tundra.

A fool and his money are soon parted. I know, it was rhetorical, but I couldn't help myself. I'm surrounded by the like. They're all gonna want to come live with me. Time to load the gun.

Indian owned Jaguar / Land rover announce 600 NEW JOBS, in the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7462357.stm

Incidentally, both Jag & Land rovers sales are mostly diesel these days. 2.7 litre V6 twin turbo jag does 50mpg.

Not all doom & gloom in the auto-industry.

Gasmon

I have zero sympathy for The Big Three.

My father's involvement in WWII made me anti-Japanese. All during my growing up years, I heard his anti-Japanese stories at the dinner table. Those with dads/uncles who fought in WWII understand what I"m saying. The war wounds went deep in that generation.

And then in 1973, a family friend came by the house to show off a new car he'd just bought. It was a funny looking little station wagon manufactured in - of all places - Japan. We thought it was funny that he'd bought a cheap little Jap car because back in the day, all that came from Japan was trinkets and trash - or so was the thinking.

My friend said it was very inexpensive and a glance inside revealed he was right. Plastic everywhere and pretty stripped down looking. But it got great gas mileage - a little more than 25 mpg.

My brothers each grabbed one end of the little car and the four of them lifted it off the ground a little bit - or so they said.

It was a Toyota.

The big three have sat on their arses for 30+ years watching as foreign companies have come to dominate an industry that America created. Part of the beauty of capitalism is that if you do not change to accomodate changing needs, you die off.

I'm sorry to think of all the jobs that will be lost, but their business model will - hopefully - sink into obscurity. The were unyielding, inflexible and foolish.

I'd bet on Ford to go down first. Their products are especially crummy.

Their most obvious mistake is that that they all assumed 3-4 years ago that the initial rises in the price of oil were temporary. This widely held belief was combined with the booming sales of large trucks and SUV's by a general public that likewise believed this to be the case. Therefore the companies all focused their plans on maintaining the status quo, which included lobbying against CAFE increases that, in their mind, would have forced them to use financial resources into creating vehicles that were either a) not as profitable even if successful b) not in line with their marketing strategy c) financially risky as it would have meant a diversification away from their cash cows.

Due to the significant lead time between initial concepts of models and model improvements and the availability of said model in their showroom, most stuff on the lot today was meant for $1.50/gallon gasoline. The industry is simply not able to react on the short time scales needed to compensate for such a rapid increase in fuel costs. The result they have a ton of vehicles on their lots their are simply trying to get rid of without taking a loss. Why do you think I am seeing all those Toyota Tundra ads. But they have no replacement vehicle they can market in most cases. Even in Toyota's cases, they have the Prius, but if that Tundra owner was doing any type of hauling with that vehicle, good luck trying to sell him a Prius as his next vehicle.