An interesting thought...

[imperialism2024]

As I am reading more and more about how gas (sorry, "petrol" ) prices are on the rise and will continue rising for some time due to an increased demand, I have to think to myself: Why are the large auto manufacturers shifting their selling focus to poorer nations like China? Is that not an enormous business blunder to try to sell a product that will be too expensive to operate the more one sells it, and in the mean time alienates the people who already own motor vehicles? Or do the auto industry leaders know fo some secret supply of oil that will fill the tanks of 2 billion new cars?

Er, I guess that's a bit of a rant...

[JagLover]

They go where the market is-and there is a fast growing market in China.

If there was only one motoring manufacturer your argument might make sense.

Americans might have to start paying attention to a figure they have ignored up to now MPG.

[shirepro]

I heard there was an EU diective that manufacturers had to have an average CO2 emmission of X by 2010 I think it was, and that as a result we will be flooded with hybrid cars so that manufacturers like Toyota can continue selling it's monster gas guzzlers because it was selling large numbers of hybrid Yaris (on the way) and that other hybrid thing they sell that Arni SWZ drives.

[imperialism2024]

While hybrids may slow the problem a little, they won't fix it because the electricity used to run the cars largely comes from oil and coal power plants.

And as far as having to watch MPG... while it is reasonable to get a low fuel comsumption vehicle, the costs for everything else that use oil-namely aircraft and plastics-will go up as well.