American cars are less expensive because they are trying to take back their lost market shares. The UAW is in part to blame for this, as well as auto companies for giving in too much to them. Do you see Japanese UAW unions? Nope. In Japan, you work, you save your money and you have your family take care of you when you get too old to work. How are the unions taking down GM? Paying out benefits to them for the rest of their life after they work there 20-30 years. GM, Ford and Chrysler all paid union autoworkers very well while they were working for them. Now the auto companies must pay for pensions and health benefits 30 years after the union worker retired? So, if sales go down, how does that still work into the equation?
American auto companies NEED to look ahead and see that their need to be alternatives to just big SUV's, cars that get better gas mileage (that will compete with Japan and Europe) whether it is in cleaner diesel or hybrid engines, as well as the electric cars that GM and Ford built back in the late 1990'S.
Americans need to stop thinking in a "One size fits all" mind-set. In the cities, all-electric cars work better. Hybrids can work everywhere else and diesel will work for trains, transport trucks and farm tractors.
