Originally published Friday, June 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Editorial
Ford, GM now green with envy
U.S. automakers are describing what amounts to the SUV tipping point. They say gasoline prices that raced past $4 a gallon have ended the...
U.S. automakers are describing what amounts to the SUV tipping point. They say gasoline prices that raced past $4 a gallon have ended the era of the highway behemoth, with consumer preference irrevocably changed.
Maybe. Considering how wrong Detroit was for decades about the desire for an American-made, fuel-efficient car, the industry's record as a prognosticator is woefully suspect. After successfully resisting federally mandated fuel-efficiency standards just as the U.S. market steadily bought foreign vehicles with better mileage, a wrenching restructuring is under way.
Another round of truck and SUV plant closures has been announced, which will bring to 35 the number shut down by GM, Ford and Chrysler since 2005, according to industry analysts. Another 35 plants run by suppliers are shuttered or going dark.
Corporate average fuel-efficiency (CAFE) standards were introduced by Congress in 1975 after the first big oil shock. They not only stretched fuel economy and contributed to reductions in air pollution, they signaled a purposefulness about conservation that cut imports and sent a strong message. Prices that spiked came down. So did the U.S. driver's pursuit of higher mileage, CAFE opponents argued.
Except consumers found quality and savings in cars from abroad. As U.S. automakers contract — or implode — foreign automakers will build five more plants in this country. We are now the offshore outsource. Employment will go from 113,000 workers to 152,000 by 2011, according to news accounts.
Ford has its own riff on that theme. Plans are to move assembly of its economical Fiesta to Mexico, where it is intended to be Ford's car of choice for the international market. Mexico is very excited, as it has lost manufacturing jobs to China.
As the automakers talk of a return to profitability, the key words are North American results, with the new plants and major job hires in Mexico.
Gasoline was expensive at $2 and $3 a gallon. Consumers looking for a U.S. option found all the creativity going into trucks and monster SUVs.
Maybe the hybrid Chevy Volt will spark some excitement when it comes out 2011. The Toyota Prius will be celebrating its 10th anniversary of U.S. sales.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 02:37 PM
Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist: Iran's leaderless revolution: searching for a Yeltsin
NEW - 02:26 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: The triumph and tragedy of Michael Jackson
NEW - 02:48 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: What does a homosexual demon look like?

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sports car/coupe? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Bicyclist killed Wednesday night is identified
- Politics Northwest | Stephen Colbert takes on lawsuit against Seattle fireworks show
- Speculation grows for Boeing 787 plant in South Carolina
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- 6 jurors swear a cop's wife swayed panel in Kent civil rights case
- Feds arrest 31 in drug raids from Lynnwood to Northern California
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Feds seize Madoff penthouse, wife leaves
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
475 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
341 - Obama's own party worried health plan lacks votes
248 - Recession wipes out 9 years of job gains
85 - Yakima teacher reprimanded for backpack feces
84 - 6 jurors swear a cop's wife swayed panel in Kent civil rights case
69 - Obama's practical immigration-reform approach: Legalize status of illegal workers
66 - Global warming may impede eelgrass growth
64 - Eyman initiative looks likely for November ballot
55 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
53
- Paddler's paradise: South Sound offers quiet and beauty
- Politics Northwest | Stephen Colbert takes on lawsuit against Seattle fireworks show
- Winter snowpack melts into waterfalls
- Speculation grows for Boeing 787 plant in South Carolina
- Jerry Large | An aging parent forces agonizing decision
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Liven up Fremont's attempt to break a world record for a 'zombie walk'
- Lynnwood's City Bank gets tighter scrutiny
- Costco contacts customers as beef recalled
- Bicyclist killed Wednesday night is identified








