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Gold/Mining/Energy : Big Dog's Boom Boom Room -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: profile_14 who wrote (33307)	7/3/2004 3:39:06 PM
From: quehubo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 206099

You fail to understand one consideration, bigger cars mean more work hours which means more dues paying members. This all the political players care about. For automakers bigger cars have bigger margins.

To: profile_14 who wrote (33307)	7/3/2004 3:41:15 PM
From: Bearcatbob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 206099

"At the end of the day, the UAW does not care what cars you make as long as you are employed. It is the management in change from one set of models to another set of more fuel efficient models that makes the transition challenging. Because the Big 3 do not anticipate the markets very well, they usually react and fight everything tooth and nail because it is to darn expensive to change platforms, engines, stampings, etc. They just don't want to lose more market share" The American companies cannot compete in the small car market. The Japanese have had years of a head start there due to the nature of their home market. The UAW may vote for kerry as knee jerk democrats - it will be at the expense of their own well being!

To: profile_14 who wrote (33307)	7/4/2004 8:26:55 AM
From: whitepine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 206099

profile 14> Economically it will never make sense unless you are hauling a lot of stuff that requires the power of a truck, which, let's face it, a minor fraction of SUV owners do. wp> I think your analysis is wanting. 1. Many more people today DO use SUV's for camping, hauling trailers of ATV's, boats, and other recreational toys. 2. Traditionally, the price of pickup trucks has declined FAR less than cars of the same vintage, simply because of their utility. Many buyers gravitated toward trucks/SUV's to avoid extreme depreciation. 3. Many drive larger vehicles for safety. On the jousting fields (expressways), do many Focus/Prius driver's feel safe at 70 MPH in the middle lane, surrounded by trucks? 4. 4WD is valuable during the winter. 5. Yes, SUV's present higher marginal costs, day-to-day, but if you own a boat or a camper, a Prius is out of the question. 6. A segment of the SUV market reflects those seeking status, but I find it difficult to allocate a proportion. High petrol prices do affect sales, but many consumers are not yet willing to give up boating, camping, or the safety that SUV's provide.