Well, the Big 3 should suffer for wasting this chance!

I finally found through the web about the 1993 program where the US Gov did give the Big $3 1 Billion to develop a hybrid high fuel efficiency car! They wasted their chance! And no Japanese companies could participate in the program! Now, only the Japanese have real good hybrid cars, that they developed at their own expense!

Congress should wake up and ***** to the Big 3 about this past R&D and to use the technology developed in it!

Here are web links about the program -

Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partner...on_of_Vehicles

The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles Is Corporate Welfare At It's Worst
http://www.commondreams.org/views/061900-104.htm

Here is one Chrysler car they should make today to save themself!
Dodge ESX3 Hybrid Gets 72 MPG - Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...51.html?page=1

Here is my post from another thread --

Biggest BS in the world! I was a Mech Eng student at UIUC in 87 to 92. There was a big Gov program where maybe the US Gov gave $1 Billion [I think] to the Big 3 to develop hybrids. - They told - no Jap automakers can participate. And Ford donated Escorts to colleges to convert to hybrids, was the Ford Escort HEV college program [I was in it].

All the big 3 [in 2000] had to show was their complaint that hybrids are unfeasible and too expensive to make and sell to the public. So much for "Professional Grade" GM Engineering too! The big 3 suck big time at making good fuel efficient cars and hybrids. And if they all go out of business, I guess it worked out better for my career that I was never hired by them!

You have a valid point. I am sympathetic to the employees of the Big 3, but I think that they should be allowed to sink or swim on their own. It is the classic case of "you made your bed, now lie on it". The problem with doing this is that it will add another 3 - 4 million people to the ranks of the unemployed. We're not talking about just the auto manufacturers but their vendors also.

A big part of thier problem is the Legacy Pension and Health Care System for their retirees, thanks to the UAW. Now I don't really have anything against unions, their existance has helped us all to receive fair treatment from our employers. Unfortunately they sometimes go overboard with their demands and hurt the business that employs their members. That has happened in this case.

Hey JTE83: I know that you are a collector and are interested in BMX Bikes. I ran across a show quality BMX bike on eBay that you should see. You can probably find it by searching "Suntour" in the Sporting Goods section. That's how I found it. It's a pretty bike but I don't do BMX.

__________________
One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

now that's some BIG money to spend. i wonder if their heads ached after.

__________________
Kearney Cycles