Here is what I don't understand; the company has the cars that we would buy, even sacrificially, but won't sell them here in the domestic market. I would buy one of the turbodiesel powered cars, minivans, and small diesel pickups that they sell in the overseas markets in a heartbeat if they were available.
If anything, GM ought to offer a huge discount and easy access to credit as payback for using our money to bail them out. I know it was in the form of loans but the fact still remains that if it were a regular person needing the same bankrupcy protection and capital, they would be denied.
I have no sympathy for any of the automakers, because it was not listening to the customer and not supplying a superior product that got them in the mess that they are in right now. The loss of jobs, tightening credit markets, and out of control energy costs (which really started the domino effect on our country) just added fuel to the fire.
Did they know? Of course they did, they pay people to keep track of these things, yet despite this, they did not do the right thing.
Forgive my soapbox moment, but if GM and the rest want to clean up in sales, make sure that the cars and minivans do 45mpg or better (55mpg is more like it) and that they are price pointed so that anyone can afford them. And make them so reliable that no one has anything to complain about. Wait, someone did that already. It's called the Mini Cooper.
