ARNOLD KLING
August 14, 2011
The Top Political Contributors
August 11, 2011
Gender and the New Commanding Heights
August 11, 2011
Jamie Galbraith Makes an Assumption
August 11, 2011
Macroeconometrics: The Science of Hubris
August 10, 2011
Real and Nominal Bond Yields
BRYAN CAPLAN
August 14, 2011
The Effect of Thumb Sucking on Income
August 12, 2011
The Voice of Cold, Hard Truth to All Would-Be Educators
August 12, 2011
Ability, Morality, and Prosperity: A Paper and a Report
August 11, 2011
The Theory of Time and Frittering
August 10, 2011
Male Variance and the Remnants of the Gender Gap
DAVID HENDERSON
August 9, 2011
Hayek in "Unbroken", Part Two
August 8, 2011
Hayek in "Unbroken"
August 5, 2011
James Bovard on the Peace Corps
August 4, 2011
Summers Way Off on FDR and 1941
August 3, 2011
The "Amazon" Tax
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cars to be smaller, less powerful, less safe, and more expensive
I don't get it. If essentially they're designing cars to make them more like fuel-efficient subcompacts, why would the price go up?
The car manufacturers will only achieve their goals by making cars lighter (i.e. smaller, less powerful, less safe) which should decrease prices.
And quite frankly, why would they redesign the subcompacts at all?
why would they redesign the subcompacts at all?
Because people don't like the "features" of subcompacts. Ergo, the customers will want safety, power, space and so on that they're accustomed to. But the only way that the manufactuerers will be able to do that AND achieve the CAFE standards is throwing money at the design / manufacturing problem which will in turn be passed on to the consumers (at least those who still demand the prior safety, power, space and so on levels).
I was thinking this just today. Specifically, I was thinking I need to buy a Toyota Tacoma while I still can.
which is perfect for the current auto industry zombies.
more sales now. then, as sales start to contract "due to over regulation", Congress will relax, postpone, recalculate, whatever.
perhaps you noticed the auto zombie reps standing behind O'HeOfLittleChange.
why would they redesign the subcompacts at all?
Because there isn't a single gas-only subcompact in the country that can get the mandated 42 mpg, and the 42 mpg is the fleet average. They will need cars that get over 50 mpg so they can still sell a few large cars or (gasp!) minivans.
If this change is implemented, the vast majority of new vehicles sold will be SUVs and pickup trucks (the big ones with extended cabs that seat 4 or 5). These vehicles rarely achieve 20 mpg, and they are exempt from the CAFE standards. With such high demand, SUV and truck prices will skyrocket. (I wish there were a company that only made SUVs: I'd buy stock immediately.)
I'm thinking my next vehicle will be a truck. I think it's silly to have vehicle just for commuting and am tired of needing to depend on others when ever I want to buy or move something. Of course, I will probably buy used, provided I can get the cash together to avoid expensive financing.
David Henderson,
Nice insight.
My only thought til now was that I am soooooo mad that my hard earned dollars are being thrown away on GM, Chrysler and Fiat that I, under no circumstances whatsoever, will ever buy or rent a GM, Chrysler or Fiat car again.
I was already a tentative quasi-loyal Toyota buyer after seeing my parents burned by Detroit again and again over the decades. Now I suspect I will only be able to rent cars that are made by Ford. Foreign car makers seem to be smart enough not to sell at a discount to the likes of Enterprise rent-a-car.
But now I am definitely going to keep an eye on the CAFE clock and buy my next car before it is too late. And then probably never sell it, running it into the ground with hopefully crappy emissions. Can you tell I am feeling bitter right now? If Obama doesn't like it he can stop stealing my hard earned dollars and stop giving it to the whores (e.g. the UAW, Al Gores "green" companies, etc.) who (legally, presumably anyway) bribed him.
Who's no running for re-election in 2016?