Comments on: GM Stock Crashes To 1970's-Era Prices

Weak Performance Expectations For U.S. Automakers Take Toll On Industry Suppliers As Well

[neo267-2009]

Detroit spent the late 70s and all of the 80s destroying the American public''s perception of their cars - squeaking by only with trucks and, later, SUVs. They are reaping what they have sown. Too bad the CEOs from that time period retired rich.

[pensacola88]

Free market economy is a little "Too Free" and causes entire fuel and auto industries to struggle.

The free-market doesn''t respond to calls for drastic changes until the equilibreum is moved over drastically.

If we make fuel efficient cars, then gas prices go down and people start wanting bigger cars again, which returns us back to the original problem.

If we make ethanol fuels, the gas prices go down as more consumers demand ethanol, and people start wanting pure gasoline and bigger cars again, - to the original problem.

If we make more people use mass transit, less demand drives down gas prices, - to the original problem.

The most profitable car is the single or two seater. It is small. Most vehicles are occupied with only a driver. Discouraging 4-seaters, trucks, vans, and converting the hiways to be filled with multitudes of smaller vehicles will make roads safer, private transportation more affordable, and return automakers to profitability.

The government can legislate two types of gasoline stations with two different selling prices: A small filling station where only smaller cars can fit in the lanes will pay the cheaper prices; and the regular station where larger vehicles pay the higher gasoline prices.

[faith_in_w]

singingrick, yes we can blame those corrupt liberals for todays woes.

[singingrick]

It sure was smart of GM to lobby Congress to keep fuel efficiency standards low while the Japanese automakers worked to raise theirs.