Artkansas 

Interesting article in Nation of Change

Auto Industry Agenda for keeping you on four wheels

enigmaT120

I've never seen any of the ads mentioned. Maybe I need to watch more TV.

1nterceptor

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...ng-apologizes/

gerv 

If I were the CEO of GM, I'd consider buying Trek. That would be a "not having all eggs in one basket" strategy.

Yes... I know. They did buy some street cars companies a while back... but luckily people wanted their cars, not their run-down streetcars.

Prestonxvx

I don't know what auto companies are thinking but when I'm flying past cars in the streets I feel like a badass, and a lot of people think I'm a badass too.
Cars suck big time.

DX-MAN

I hear all the 'car-centrics' holler about 'urban sprawl', a condition that would be better served with light rail and DECENT buses, instead of the sweat-soaked cattle cars they use most places today. Guess my little town of 300K doesn't have 'sprawl'; there isn't place in town that can't be reached by bike, even from the opposite side of town, in less than an hour by bike (40+ minutes by car, a MULTITUDE of lights to suffer through!). It's just the usual thinly veiled facade for personal entitlement.

Dahon.Steve

You have to understand the tweens growing up today are going to be less likely to drive a car. GM knows this and is trying to prepare for the day when millions will be priced out driving! Motoring has become too expensive and they have to do what ever they can to humilate those using alternate forms of transport.

I tried to go online and find out how much it would cost to insure a 2012 Cavalier. Needless to say, I was AMAZED at how many questions were needed to be answered to determine the cost. It appeared any number of "Wrong" answers could increase my insurance premium dramatically. Since I haven't owned a car in years, my rate would be sky high! In the end, I could not get a quote online and was told to call. They probably didn't want to tell me I'd have to mortgage my first born to get their policy!

Guess I'm just going to have to be happy sitting next to those creeps and weirdos on the train or bus. Oh how will I survive without a car!

Mark Stone

I have news for you. You and I are "those creeps and weirdos"!

Artkansas 

I think you missed his sarcasm.

Mark Stone

Naw, I caught it - I was attempting humor.

gerv 

Don't try that on the bus.

Lao

Yeah don't, because the creeps and the weirdos won't get it. If they did, they wouldn't be on the bus.

Artkansas 

Nycycle

Last year my Company Van needed work, so I loaded the bike in the back and headed over.
On my way home from the place I left my van, the phone rings, Customer needs me right away. I told him I could be there in about 30 Minutes, but that I would be on my bike,,,,,,,,,I parked behind his building, threw on a pair of pants and a jacket, stepped in, grabbed his broken transmitter, told him I would be back with it tomorrow,, He got all worried and asked if I wanted him to give me a ride home, I assured him I would be ok, he never called again.
That afternoon, I ordered three 5 gal buckets of oil for another customer, I called the oil distributor, told him I would be making 2 trips, he asked why, I told him I was on my bike, He delivered the oil,,,,
I TRY!

Roody

I heard on the radio today that they expect the price of a new car to increase by six per cent this year, rising to a median price of about $30,000.

Roody

WoW...Weird Al and Tom Snyder!

Suburban

No one under 40 has been disturbed by us selling our only car. A little surprised, but it's only older people that see any shame in not owning a car. Auto manufacturer's are going to have a difficult time convincing the majority of us that there is any shame in not owning a car. How many tv shows and movies center on young adults living in cities without a car? Suburban and rural people NEED cars. The hip live in higher density areas where cars aren't necessary.

coldfeet

Last year I needed to get some product from a local guy, he said he could produce the items, but was so busy he couldn't deliver. I arranged to pick them up on the way home, and take them in to work myself. The boxes were about 3 foot long, and about 1 foot on the sides, say 70 pounds.

I admit, I just did it to see how the Big Dummy would handle it, and for the reaction. His face when I walked in to his little factory in riding attire was priceless! When he saw the bike he was blown away, very interested in the whole thing. Yes, I got it back to work, about 20Km all told, with a decent hill at the end.

buck65

I read through the article and thought it was interesting. I happen to find both of the ads laughable because they are so absurd, especially with the values they try to allude to. Yeah, as a high school student in 1994, I would have been embarrassed being seen in transit NOT in a car, but what do you expect of someone unsure of their place in society. I think this campaign is just silly, but I fear that it may be effective.

Anyone get a load of the Chrysler commercial from the Superbowl yesterday? The one with Clint Eastwood:

Eastwood is in a monologue where he parallels the economic struggles that Americans face to the hardships that football athletes contend with. And of course, after half-time, there needs to be some rally to take control and become victorious. And I'm guessing, especially by the imagery in this commercial, that America will rally back and become victorious with automobiles.

I am not trying to attack the message of this commercial, however, I feel that the icons (Detroit/automobile) implicit to economic recovery is misleading. I just think it's a little unsettling to try to get so many people to identify with car-culture values as a way to save our country.

Roody

Obviously you're not from Michigan.

The Eastwood/Chrysler commercial played a little differently here, as did the eminem/Chrysler commercial in last year's Super Bowl broadcast.

But I don't think the ad is about car culture. I think it's more about factory culture. What position is our country in (economically and strategically) if we can no longer make anything with our own two hands? Cars are not going away anytime soon. If they're not built here, they'll be built in another country. Eastwood's message in the commercial wasn't much different from what Obama as well as the Republican candidates are saying about jobs for America.

gerv 

I guess that's a good point. But I recall Jane Jacobs mentioning how a community like Toronto was able to survive downturns that seriously affected US cities close by. Her claims was that local sourcing was a big factor.

If you think about, she's right too. If you look to foster industries and activities that are based in your community, you'll probably be more resilient when times get tough. But the way this works is to look at any industry and figure out how much of its content is really based in your area. I suspect most auto industry is a bunch of assembly of parts made in Asia. So there are some local jobs, but only 10% of the revenue actually stays in the community.

That's one reason why we should focus on recycling industries. They are labor intensive and they build on products that already exist locally. For example, you can tear down a house by buying a $80,000 tractor built in Asia. Or you can hire a team of recyclers to come in and dismantle the building and sell what they can. The latter might cost a fraction more, but think about where that money goes.

Dahon.Steve

I heard the same thing on the radio! LOL!

The reason cars are going up 6% is due to the fact the used car market is overpriced, people have no choice but to buy new cars! I believe the average used car on the street is close to 10 years old, it forces people to either buy new or get a maintenence disaster. What gets me is that GM and Ford know we are in a recession, yet they can't control the costs.

Dahon.Steve

What I find so ironic about that ad was that if were up to people like Eastwood, there would be NO auto industry. It was Republicans like Eastwood who where against the bailouts that saved GM and Ford! LOL!

wahoonc

Just for the Record it was CHRYSLER and GENERAL MOTORS that took bail out money, not Ford. This is the second time Chrysler has been bailed out.

Aaron

buck65

Nope, definitely not from the mitten state, however I do enjoy visiting family in A^2 and stopping by Zingermans.

I think you make a good point about the message of the commercial but I don't think all of America sees it that way--I think the imagery used in the commercial is misleading. Eastwood eloquently delivers his lines but we're left with symbols of automobiles at the end of the commercial. While the dialogue is about jobs in America, I still feel that Chrysler is delivering a different message (something deeper than what Eastwood says at the surface).