Thomas Friedman: A quick fix for the gas addicts

Inside Bay Area ^

[jern]

IS there a company more dangerous to Americas future than General Motors? Surely, the sooner this company gets taken over by Toyota, the better off our country will be.

Why? Like a crack dealer looking to keep his addicts on a tight leash, GM announced its fuel price protection program on May 23. If you live in Florida or California and buy certain GM vehicles by July 5, the company will guarantee you gasoline at a cap price of $1.99 a gallon for one year — with no limit on mileage. Guzzle away.

As the Associated Press explained the program, each month for one year, GM will give customers who buy these cars a credit on a prepaid card based on their estimated fuel usage. Fuel usage will be calculated by the miles they drive, as recorded by OnStar, and the vehicles fuel economy rating. GM will credit drivers the difference between the average price per gallon in their state and the $1.99 cap. Consumers wont get any credits if gas prices fall below $1.99.

[truth_seeker]

Unable to compete on the desirability of their vehicles, GM resorts to gimmicks.

Meanwhile, Toyota offers the new Camry Hybrid with 40 MPG city rating.

[rickmichaels]

ping

[Chi-townChief]

Man, this bozo is REALLY off the deep end!! If I could afford it, I'd buy one of those Firebird Formulas from a few years back with the Corvette engine.

[jern]

he is in a bozo in what way? which point?

[digger48]

I have heard that Ford is having some similar type promotion for gas with their new vehicle purchases.

[Chi-townChief]

Lets see, the 6,400-pound Hummer H2 averages around nine miles per gallon. It really is great that GM is giving more Americans the opportunity to experience nine-miles-per-gallon driving. And the hulking Chevy Suburban gets around 15 miles per gallon. It will be wonderful if more Americans can experience that too — with GM-subsidized gas.

Just another neo-com telling us what we can't do.

[ClearCase_guy]

In a free market, consumers make decisions and companies either prosper or fail, depending on the decisions that consumers make.

GM will get what it deserves. I don't know what that is. Maybe GM will make huge profits from this plan. Maybe GM will go bankrupt. I don't know. I don't care.

What I do know: people who get their panties in a wad over this don't understand freedom.

[rom]

Good rebuttal to this bozo:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/14793843.htm

We don't believe these 'experts' on politics. Why anything else?

[EagleUSA]

The leftist media rears its moronic head again. Yes, I can just see the board of directors of GM coming up with this, as if their bankruptcy and their corporate welfare state (union welfare for retired employees) have not already made them incapable of competing.

Total insanity.

[rom]

And how long will it take you to get your money back on the premium you paid on that car versus its non-hybrid version? And if you financed your purchase, the price differential is much much higher! Maybe that's why other than the Prius, most hybrids have been selling poorly.

And you know what your repair bills will be if you had to fix the expensive CVT in that car, if its anything like the Prius:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/HighTechCarRepairs.aspx

Yikes!

Of course you can feel smug knowing you are helping the environment. Then you can jet along with Al Gore on his private jet as he extols the evils of oil based products.

[Chi-townChief]

If Friedman is so bent on saving the world though conservation, he should move into a cave, ride a bicycle or walk everywhere, rub two sticks together to cook his food, and then shut the f**k up.

[MNJohnnie]

Meanwhile, Toyota offers the new Camry Hybrid with 40 MPG city rating

While planing to reduce Hybrid production since the things are not selling. But don't let that little inconvenient fact get in the way of the latest Church of Enviromentalism sermon. So much easier for the Enviors to to feel rather then think. Would want to upset the poor little dears with inconvent truths.

[bfree]

Al Bore also fits right in.

[MNJohnnie]

Meanwhile EVERY major car company is reducing Hybrid production since they do not sell. So it seems once again the Foolish media whores like Freidman are NOT walking the walk they demand the REST of us walk. Hey Tommy, YOU actually walk the walk, then we may listen. Until then spare us your rabid hypocrise.

[bfree]

You drive what you want and I'll drive what I want. Until we start drilling and building refineries, I don't care a lick about conserving fuel. If I can afford the gas, I'll buy the gas.

[hoosierham]

Cost per mile is the key to vehicles and that includes cost per mile at the levels of safety and comfort desired.Liberals' freedom to choose only applies if its a baby.

[Chi-townChief]

Weird Al's the king when it come to that crap but there's also Redford, Streisand, Sarandon, et al who want us to use less so they can enjoy more.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

GM should just merge with Ford, IMO. Force the unions and middle-management out and with the engineers putting their heads together, may be able to beat foreign competition.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

" GM will credit drivers the difference between the average price per gallon in their state and the $1.99 cap. Consumers wont get any credits if gas prices fall below $1.99."

It's a savvy bet by GM. Capacity expansions that were nearly strangled in their crib by low fuel prices a few years ago are due begin coming on-line in the next twelve months. It takes a while for those sorts of things to be implemented, but the process is moving along.