People who wore the “mask” when ordered ought to have understood what would be coming next.
Of course, most didn’t – and so they got what was coming next.
Similarly, the car companies – as regards their Babbitt-like, obsequious going-along-with the push to “electrify” everything on wheels. Many of them openly said they would do it just as soon as they could – to show just how eager they were to please the federal regulatory apparat and appease “green” (that is, red) foot-stompers rather than please their customers.
And now they’re beginning to regret that.
The Orange Man cometh. And when he does, the “mandate” to “electrify” everything on wheels may goeth.
This is the last thing the car companies who embraced the EV tar baby want, having already agreed to “electrify” their model lineups. They were banking – just the right word – on the continuation of things and the very likely use of more regulations to eliminate alternatives to “electrified” everything. So as to recover their “investment” by making us pay for it.
Now they find themselves holding the bag. And they are backpedaling after the fact.
This brings up a lesson most of us ought to have learned as kids. When confronted by something obnoxious and destructive, it’s a good idea to not go along with it, even if it means a confrontation. The confrontation being preferable to submission – and the consequences of submission.
Of course, the obnoxious pushers of destructive things rely on the aversion most people – and so, most companies – have to confrontations. To fights. And so they do what they’re told in order to avoid them, failing to understand that this will assure more and worse being told what to do. That is what the obnoxious pushers of “masks” relied on and it is what the obnoxious pushers of battery powered devices – electric cars – rely on.
Because so many – most people – went along with “masking,” they found themselves being pressured to get “vaccinated.” Millions submitted to that, too. In order to avoid confrontation. It is only because some of us refused to roll up our sleeve that the next thing – “vaccination passports” – was averted.
The car industry has been rolling up its sleeve – and “masking” – for decades. It hasn’t been willing to have a confrontation with the regulatory apparat and so it has accepted the costs of that. As have we, in the form of more expensive, less-appealing vehicles equipped with “features” we do not want but laden with “features” the government wants.
Now the government is about to transition to a new government that may “roll back” some of the regulations that the car industry rolled over for, including federal miles-per-gallon requirements that force the industry to reduce the fuel consumption of the vehicles they make, no matter what it cost the customer and never mind what the customer wants. The mandatory-minimum MPG requirements have also been used by the reds – who want to end cars – to effectively force the car companies to make “green” electric cars that most people can’t afford to buy and aren’t wanting to buy, regardless.
It’s all very clever and also very interesting in that it’s a case study in how not wanting a confrontation leads to basically what happened in that infamous scene in Deliverance, after Ned Beatty uttered the immortal words:
Look, we don’t want any trouble here.
Which is exactly how you get it.
Now the car industry is in trouble. Big trouble. Some of the biggest names – Chrysler, Dodge, VW maybe even Ford and GM – are in so much trouble they might not be around at all for much longer. They “invested” billons in EVs – to avoid a confrontation – and so have lost billions and it’s actually more than that because those billions were not invested in cars and trucks that buyers might have wanted. In new engines that – rather than battery packs – that buyers want. This leaves them broke or flirting with it and now they are facing the prospect of their “investments” not being supported by the new government that’s coming to town in about a month or so from now.
Incoming President Trump has promised to end the “EV mandate,” by which he means the regulations that have been used to push the manufacturing of EVs. The Big Two are federal gas mileage mandatory minimums (CAFE regs) that the red “greens” in the Biden regulatory apparat decreed shall ascend to 50 MPG, a standard that is effectively impossible to “comply” with without at least partially “electrifying” a vehicle (i.e., making it a plug-in hybrid).
The other is federal “emissions” standards, which now encompass the “emissions” of a gas that has nothing – you might say zero – to do with air pollution. The only way to decrease these “emissions” is to decrease engines, which is why they have been getting smaller and smaller – with the end-object of the reds who use “green” to cajole people into accepting red being the elimination of engines altogether.
If Trump actually does end these regs – which he ought to, because neither of them have constitutional authority, arguably, since the Constitution only authorizes Congress to write laws but these regulations issued by unelected, unaccountable bureaucratic apparats have acquired the force of law – the car industry will not only have to eat the billions in losses of its EV appeasement, it will have to come up with more billions to correct for the consequences of its appeasement.
And they may not be able to. Because they no longer have the billions necessary to do so. They are learning that while it is easy to comply, it is harder to stop squealing like a pig once you’ve begun to.
That’s what comes of saying look, we don’t want any trouble here.
Whether it’s a “mask” or a device.
. . .
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Anyone that wants to start a new American car company and wants to hire an engineer to design the next generation of ICE’s, just let me know. I know the big secret that has held back automotive development for the last 25+ years. Are you all ready?
The 12 volt electrical system.
The 12 volt electrical system is, without any doubt, the #1 biggest hurdle to automotive ENGINE DEVELOPMENT.
My background? I was a jet engine mechanic on the electrical side of things. Jet engines and electrical power generation. That’s what I learned in the military. I know just a thing or 2 about ICE’s.
Anyone that wants to TRULY bring about the next evolution in ICE tech you seriously just let me know. It will begin by abandoning the 12v SLA battery completely, and in its place 4 small 12v LiFePO4 batteries wired in series.
Starting with a 48v electrical system (or 4x the energy of any previous system), we do a top to bottom re-design of the ICE. I’m talking everything you think you know about engines? I’ve already thrown right out the window. We eliminate the following parts straight away:
The Camshaft.
The Timing belt / chain(s).
The Push Rods.
The Lifters.
The Rocker Arms.
Are now ALL GONE. Can you imagine making a 4-cycle ICE with none of those parts? I sure can.
What do we replace them with?
SOLENOID OPERATED VALVES. Because with a 48v electrical system, suddenly we have enough energy on tap for SOV’s, and the wires don’t have to be 10 gauge to deliver enough power to control valves under compression. WOW.
What does a SOV engine offer? Well, first, all the internal friction losses of the aforementioned parts are now gone. Just gaining that friction lost back, how much efficiency do we pick up in our ICE? Do the math. Lots. How much cheaper does that make engine production?
HOW MUCH CHEAPER DOES THAT MAKE ENGINE PRODUCTION? Are you KIDDING? You cut engine production costs in LESS THAN HALF. Because you need a block, a crank, some pistons, some rods, some heads, an intake, and an exhaust manifold. And that’s IT.
How about flexibility? Can you imagine a 4 cylinder engine with a dial / push-button control that can literally be “dialed” from 50 hp to 350 hp? An engine that delivers 300+ HP to merge you into traffic…but then ambles along at 50HP output…not with idiotic “cylinder deactivation”, lol. But with LIMITLESS “CAMSHAFT” PROFILES that can be had by turning a dial. Or set to advance and retard automatically.
You folks see engines that F-1 teams have spent $10 million on and think…whoa. This is the pinnacle of ICE tech. Or the latest push-rod mill from Detroit, with fancy cast iron big blocks putting out 500+ brutish horsepower, and you just swoon.
Folks, as someone that knows just a BIT about ICE tech, I can promise you, in no uncertain terms, that we have ONLY JUST TOUCHED THE SURFACE of ICE TECH. The “pinnacle”? Give me a $1 million budget and a decked out machine shop and I’ll put you in the Smithsonian as the company that RE-INTRODUCED the ICE and PUT EV’S OUT OF BUSINESS FOR GOOD. I’ll SHOW you the pinnacle of ICE tech.
The first step towards a new evolution in Internal Combustion Technology, is moving to a 48v electrical system. This is a fact I challenge anyone to dispute with me. I do love a good debate.
And btw? A SOV engine could meet 50 mpg requirements ON ITS WORST DAY.
42V and 48V systems have been proposed before but never adopted.
In particular 42V would have been a good choice since it’s a safe, natural voltage for lithium and lead-acid. They rest at 3.7V/cell and charge at 4.2V, thus a working voltage of 37V and charging of 42V with 10 cell packs. Another option would have been lithium iron phosphate, rest at 3.4V/cell and charge to 3.65V so working at 40.8V and charging up to a max of 43.8V for 12 cell batteries. Using lead acid with 18 cells it’ll want to charge at 42.6V and work at 38.4V.
Getting 48V is a little odd. With 14 LFP you work at 47.6V but have to charge at 51.1V, which exceeds the general safe 50V DC voltage. Same with Li-ion, 12 cells gets you 44.4V but charging just above 50.4V. You run into the same problem with 48V lead-acid, which wants to charge at 56.8V for 24 cells and will rest at around 50.4V.
…..regulatory apparat decreed shall ascend to 50 MPG, a standard that is effectively impossible to “comply”
Right….so job one was ban diesels that could….
Another Woke-joke auto maker headed for the rubbish bin:
https://tinyurl.com/muj8x2vm
There’s a NYT article today where it claims automakers are begging Trump not to undue the EV mandates so their “investments” won’t be lost. This is either BS propaganda, or it’s evidence that the automakers didn’t just fail to resist the mandates, they wanted the mandates. I bet it’s easier to comply with government’s edicts (which severely restrain competition and supply) than the fickle demands of the marketplace.
You know it. I am mildly optimistic that Vivek is determined to cut regulations regardless.
The corporate ruling class needs to be deconstructed.
This is me driving off into the sunset, not caring about what happens to the whores in the automotive industry who thought it was a good idea to get in bed with GovCo:
https://ibb.co/k62jmKL
All of the men who created this work of art on wheels have retired or expired. I thank them for their service to humanity.
Yesterday I heard lots of sirens and commotion in the street. Apparently, someone burned down several homeless encampments around town. Next up, government parasites, and their encampments please.
What a beautiful time machine you have there Philo. Always wanted a wedge Charger.
Thank you, AMC! I was not a fan of this body style for the longest time, but now after many years of ownership, I have come to the conclusion that the curves and lines of this “coke bottle” body style are so unique and beautiful.
Yes, there is nothing else like it..
the factory where it was built will never produce another.
Let these legacy automakers sunset into history, and remember the good times while they lasted.
Let them be replaced by fresh and innovative blood, unencumbered by onerous regulations and restrictions.
So let it be written.
So let it be done.
Unfortunately, this means Chinese crap will become the only game in town.
We are definitely living in interesting times, which are terrifying to some people. As an older gearhead who has driven and owned so many great cars I do appreciate electric motors. Nothing about cars is simple, and after taking apart and fixing so many parts of them most of the time I agree that cars have become too complex. I know many mechanics who won’t even play with the new stuff. Dealership mechanics, (I was one for awhile) are aging out, at least the few good ones. What does give me hope is some of the youngsters at my local Cars & Coffee who are restoring older cars, as well as playing around with some interesting technologies. I learn something new every day.
I lost over $40,000 dollars US. from the GM structured bankruptcy. I also lost the income from the investment. Perhaps I should have known better and got out sooner. FK BO, and FK JB, and all the other whores. rant over.
Eric, I pray for today to be a good day for you. I tried finding solace? or pain relief in a / many bottles of Makers after my Mom passed. I almost died, and haven’t had a drink in a few years. May sunny days visit you often.
The notion that the free market can be replaced by a government directed market is absurd. The only money government has is that which it has stolen. Hardly a foundation for any market at all. If a business were to appeal to its customers, instead of government, it would not need bailing out with stolen funds.
Biden should tell Satanyahoo to go get f’kd, save a lot of money doing that, tell Zelensky to shoot himself and save even more money.
Dotgov can use the money to give to the auto manufacturers, a better choice of how to spend tens of billions of dollars.
My son’s employer drives a Cyber truck, he stopped by my son’s house to plug in the Cyber whatever it is, he wasn’t going to make it home, not enough charge. The thing sat all night charging. Crazy to see an orange extension cord to the truck so the battery could be charged to make it home. A 100,000 dollar piece of junk is all it is.
The Cyber thing sat from 9 PM to noon the next day.
Elon should find something new and different to do.
How to tell it like it is.
You know what day it is, 61 years ago today it happened.
I see your Doug Traubel bid, and raise the ante. Here is a newly-minted, defiant war criminal, offering a three-minute master class on inversion of reality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAo7YLW8VbE
Black is white. War is peace. Love is hate. We cry out in pain as we strike you.
I had planned on buying a new vehicle (Japan-made Mazda CX-5) by now, but there were things that kept me from doing that: 1) vehicle prices are outrageous, 2) vehicle insurance is outrageous, and 3) new vehicles are full of safety/driver assistance crap I don’t want or need. Guess I’ll just hang on to my 2014 Mazda3, keep up the maintenance, and hope it lasts.
I’m willing to bet that Trump won’t abolish CAFE. He will more than likely roll it back a little. Instead of 50 MPG, how about a compromise of 40 MPG?
I wonder whether or not he thinks the government should impose any MPG regulations at all.
We shall see. Trump, prove me wrong.
40 is what it was befor Bidet took over. The National Motorists Associan should be pushing hard for a cost benefit analysis of all automotive regulations since 2000, if not 1970.
American and European auto companies have abandoned the Henry Ford model of making money by selling a high volume of affordable vehicles and adopted the corporatist economic model, under which they do not fight the government but rather embrace it, on the assumption that government mandates will build in a a guaranteed profit on lower sales volume.
The biggest companies like this, because it eliminates the smaller competitors who cannot comply with the mandates, and also because they are too big to fail and the government will bail them out in difficult financial times.
But unlike the corporatist/fascist automakers of the 1930s, which built “People’s Wagons” that the people actually wanted and could afford, the contemporary automakers are building unaffordable shit that people do not want. Clearly this is the case with EVs, but also with ICE vehicles, too — Jeep is now on the rocks (no pun intended) because people cannot afford the ridiculous prices they are charging for inferior vehicles:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/business/stellantis-jeep-woes/index.html
Toyota looks to be the big winner in all of this, as they remain (relatively) more committed to affordable ICE vehicles than any other manufacturer. Of course this is partially because they are Japanese and consequently are more resistant to the DEI/woke/feminized/climate change corporate bullshit than Western companies.
Another reason to start a war with Russia, so Trump will be so occupied with that crisis he won’t have time to think about undoing this Byzantine nightmare.
O beautiful, for spacious skies
Now those skies are threatening
They’re beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales
Beria Garland cleans up all details
Since ‘Biden’ had to lie
— Don Henley, The End of the Innocence
FJB.
His administration can do more than two things at once. Look at what Bidet has been doing
The problem isn’t the electric vehicles, in some circumstances electric vehicles are great. If you live in a big city and just drop the kids off at school and go to the grocery store, an electric vehicle is perfect. Like the masks and shots, the problem is government interference in the economy by a “mandate”.
“Drill baby drill” is good for the short term, but long term petroleum is a diminishing resource and the cost of extraction (the “energy cost of energy”) will eventually become too high to sustain current levels of consumption. See Dr. Tim Morgan’s blog (https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/) for his analysis of the economics of energy production.
Energy equals prosperity. The problem is that the carbon scam has forced us down the wrong path pursuing unreliable, inefficient and expensive wind and solar power, while not building cost effective, reliable nuclear and clean coal electricity generating capacity and conserving oil and gas for interstate transportation, aviation and marine applications. The declining sources of cheap, reliable power will inevitably result in hyper inflation, asset devaluation and declining standards of living.
So true. In a free market of ideas EVs could be cheap commuter cars, no need for a big car with a ton of range. The Nissan Leaf is a good example, although without gov.com assistance they really aren’t cheap like a Versa. Still, I have very little doubt runabout EVs would have caught on. We motorheads almost always have an old beater town car that an EV fills nicely, perhaps even arguably better. It’s tough on a gas or diesel engine to start it and run short trips but an EV has no problem with that. Also unless you have a long drive your beater gas car doesn’t get warm none too quick. An EV is instant heat, although taking a decent dink on range. But still the defrost would work immediately.
The problem isn’t the electric vehicles, in some circumstances electric vehicles are great.
The problem is battery technology. Batteries contain too little energy, and recharging them takes a ridiculous amount of time. Without this problem being addressed once and for all, no battery electric vehicles will be “great”.
OBTW… I do a lot of work with microcontrollers these days. I found these really cool microcontrollers and eval kits from a company in the Netherlands called NXP. Well, guess what else they’re into these days!
If you guessed “Software-Defined Vehicle Development”, you win a prize! In that EV-centric (and eurofag/green agenda) view of the world, the primary thing that differentiates a “car” is purely its software!
https://www.nxp.com/applications/automotive/software-defined-vehicle:SOFTWARE-DEFINED-CARS
https://www.nxp.com/applications/automotive:SECURE-CONNECTED-VEHICLE
They might even manage to sell some of their automotive microcontrollers along the way! And OBTW, they’re already in cahoots with the leading EV/green/eurofags at Audi!
“NXP’s Advanced Trimension UWB Portfolio Hits the Road with Audi”
https://www.nxp.com/company/about-nxp/newsroom/NW-NXP-ADVANCED-TRIMENSION-UWB-PORTFOLIO
See, this is what I’m talking about when I saw that these car (now device) manufacturers, just like Big Pharma, have been hoping and banking (big time!) on this new government-forced “opportunity” to extract wealth from us plebes.
They are not going to take “No” for an answer, especially from the likes of Trump and his American “populists”. And NXP is surely not the only ones.
All this and end the damn lightbulb ban too. Just discovered they dont sell normal bulbs anymore. Now I’m sitting here looking for tungsten wire and a diamond drill to replace burned out filaments (already have some welding gas for the inside). Damn anyone who tells me what kind of lights to have. LEDs are great for work or flashlights but in my house, I want natural light, plus they hurt my eyes. Big issue on new cars too, the damn laser headlights are of an unnatural type that appears too bright. There’s the side issue of behavior modification through flicker rates that LED lights can inflict on you as well through the smart meters. rant over
https://www.bulbs.com/Incandescent_Bulbs/results.aspx
I was thinking the same thing, Anchar: Bring back the old reliable, incandescent light bulb! Along with 8-cylinder engine vehicles and standard transmissions. And hell, how about going back to the basics: Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina (cue the kid in “Kindergarten Cop”). On a side note, yellow tinted sunglass lenses can help with the God-awful, bright LED headlights at night. I have a pair that I wear over my glasses for night driving, and they are a God-send! Ironically, the truckers driving up on the North Slope wear orange tinted lenses. They were a bit weird to try on and look through, but the truckers swear by them.
I get halogen bulbs from Amazon. Halogen = every bit as good as incandescent, only more efficient.
Go to a local hardware store, the more rustic the better. They have old style bulbs but, they are now considered “heaters” nudge nudge wink wink.
Here’s another Woke industry much like the car-maker clowns. But this one could actually turn our lights out:
‘Today, utilities have enthusiastically embraced the push for renewable (but less reliable) resources, primarily wind and solar. Public utility commissions guarantee a high rate of return for all new power source (wind, solar, and battery) installations.
‘All of this is done in the name of pursuing net zero emissions, which every single major utility company boasts about on their corporate reports and websites. Reliability and affordability come secondary to the decarbonization agenda.
‘Dominion Energy of Richmond, Virginia is a good example. Dominion CEO Robert Blue: “Sometimes the government needs to focus on outcomes. We’re trying to address a climate crisis, and we are going to need to move quickly to do that.”
‘Onshore wind companies have received special “take limits” from US Fish and Wildlife Service to kill protected bald eagles and golden eagles, while prosecuting oil companies if birds are injured or killed on their sites.’
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/utility-companies-are-not-our-side
Neofeudalism kills. Which is exactly its purpose.
“Dominion Energy of Richmond” aptly named.
dominion
/də-mĭn′yən/
noun
Control or the exercise of control; sovereignty.
A territory or sphere of influence or control; a realm.
Also…. Dominion vote counting machines….words are revealing…or concealing…
Control or the exercise of control; sovereignty.
A territory or sphere of influence or control; a realm.
Makes sense now….
‘People … ought to have understood what would be coming next.’ — eric
Now it’s here … just like in 2016, when Dems decided to reverse Trump’s election with Lawfare. The ‘Biden’ usurper regime is burning down the house before its eviction. HIAS agent Mayorkas takes his sadistic revenge on actual Americans:
‘The outgoing administration intends to launch an ICE Portal app starting in early December in New York City that will allow migrants to bypass in-person check-ins to their local ICE office.
‘Even when it’s working correctly, the new app doesn’t check for past arrests or outstanding warrants — something the current system tied to in-person appointments does, sources said.
‘Former acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan slammed the Biden administration’s last-minute moves as “the opposite of a peaceful transition of power.”
“This is an obstructionist transition,” said Morgan. “What they’re trying to do in the last final day, they’re going to try to put up as many roadblocks and obstacles and throw as many grenades as they can on their way out.”
https://nypost.com/2024/11/21/us-news/biden-admin-to-let-illegal-migrants-skip-nyc-ice-appointments/
Read the whole article. The new ICE Portal is as messed up as the Obamacare launch — maybe worse. Makes Clinton’s staffers prying the ‘W’ keys off Govco computers look like harmless pranksters. ‘Biden’ is showing us what a contemptible, vindictive turd he is.
Indeed. They are doing a full scorched earth retreat with countless booby traps. Meanwhile Trump is picking his leadership cadre from Fox News, from the most effective congressmen, from the east coast elitists, and the Israel Firsters, scarcely different from the blunders of 2016.
Mr Trump, perhaps you should look to the deep red states in the midwest and west for practical and capable leadership which is neither corrupted nor encumbered by the group thinking mental illness of the Acela corridor. Or you can continue to fight treason and sedition and civilization killing madness with both hands tied behind your back.
“Mr Trump, perhaps you should look to the deep red states in the midwest and west for practical and capable leadership which is neither corrupted nor encumbered by the group thinking mental illness of the Acela corridor.”
Mike Pence comes to mind.
Ah, yes, distant cousin Mikey. May he burn in hell.
Jesus doesn’t know him.
I recently watched the racing film, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ (which I thought was pretty good) while watching it, & since then, I fail to imagine such races using EV’s… I just. Can’t. imagine it.
A child’s AFX/Tyco slot racing track would be more exciting.
Also, when I read articles such as Eric’s I cannot help but think of executive players, similar to Ford Senior Vice President Leo Beebe as portrayed in the film, yuck-yucking it up going all-in on the EV bandwagon. I fail to imagine executives such as that being able to develop a backbone & resist the EV gravy train.
The characterization in the film of Henry Ford II by Enzo Ferrari probably applies to them all. Something like, “son’s of whores” etc.
“Were the early versions of the Ford GT40 really that dangerous?
Yes. […] accidents prompted Ford test driver Roy Salvadori to quit. “I opted out of that program to save my life,”…”
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/ford-v-ferrari/
“Your regulators were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” – Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (paraphrased)
Someone in a thinktank (perhaps the one located in Aspen CO, but they’re all pretty much the same) sat around one day, maybe after assembling some Ikea furniture using his power drill, and realized that lithium batteries were getting pretty good. So he did some spreadsheet jockeying and figured out that power to weight ratio would make an EV plausible. So he wrote up a paper and started talking it up at conferences, which got the attention of the greens, who were also wanting to destroy the electricity grid through deregulation and renewable energy. This dovetailed nicely with the anti-war crowd too, since we were focused on the Middle East.
So they start lobbying for grant money to study the “problem” and come up with blue sky solutions. Any mechanical engineer would shoot holes in their hypothesis immediately, but they’re not invited to the TED Talk. Can’t have any Debbie Downers in the room, that’s not being helpful at all. Pretty soon the idea picks up steam and congresspeople, not the sharpest bunch either, buy into the dream of “emissions free” vehicles.
Too bad they don’t work.
The TBD in all this is what is Elon telling Trump about EVs?
I share your optimism Eric, but I do worry that Musk having Trump’s ear will manage to make an exception for Tesla and whatever other grift he is running.
I doubt Musk is an EV evangelist. He’s an opportunistic grifter, Tesla’s bottom line is cornering the market for carbon offset credits sold to other companies rather than wheeled devices. I imagine he’s smart enough to understand that killing ICE cars would hurt Tesla more than help. In fact a thriving ICE market would be a win-win to his favor with all the credits sold and mopping up an niche EV market as the dominate segment player.
‘Chrysler, Dodge, VW … are in so much trouble they might not be around at all for much longer.’ — eric
Eurotards sucking wind:
‘After Fiat Chrysler’s merger with PSA Group in early 2021 created Stellantis, the company began focusing on higher-priced, higher-margin vehicles. Jeep has become a shell of its former self, with sales down 36% from before the pandemic. Stellantis managed to turn off customers to what was one of the hottest and most desirable brands by jacking up prices and mismanaging its lineup.
‘The Ram truck brand has also struggled to keep up with GM and Ford. Dodge has cut some of its popular models in anticipation of electric versions. Chrysler, once the company’s core brand, is essentially down to one model, the Pacifica minivan.
‘Virtually every model sold by Stellantis is showing double-digit year-over-year sales declines. Stellantis no longer has the more entry level vehicles, such as the Challenger muscle car, the Cherokee SUV, the Renegade subcompact SUV and the Chrysler 300 sedan.
“It’ll be hard to get back the market share they had,” Kevin Farris of Stellantis dealers association said. “A lot of the products we used to sell a lot of are not being produced today.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/business/stellantis-jeep-woes/index.html
Sad, ain’t it? Now bend over, Mr Tavares … and make animal noises.
Mismanagement will have consequences on a company for sure. They made their bed; now they must sleep in it. Why didn’t the dealers take a stand before all the damage was done?
Eric,
Your post today reminds me of that quote from Robert F Kennedy Jr when he ran for President….”Nobody ever complied their way out of tyranny.” How true is that, particularly given the COVID tyranny that at one point seemed would never end. Had it not been for what Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren calls “COVID dissidents”, we’d likely STILL have mask mandates in addition to those vaccine passports that the globalist sociopaths dreamed of implementing. However, given their original scheme failed, they want to do it all over again, be it over a large war, weather, another virus, artificially created food shortages, or something else we can’t even imagine.
Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.
– Patrick Henry
Good advice
Words to live by.
Thanks for that reminder of Patrick Henry’s words.
Eric, your article reminds me of the movie Schindler’s List. (This isn’t going where you think it is.)
The movie is, perhaps, the most enlightening piece of cinema to explain our current economic situation. Oscar Schindler manufactured enamel pots. His “customer” was the National Socialist GovCo of Germany. He was a master at “working with” the military administration that ran his part of the country. He plied the upper echelons of this structure with loose women and booze, among other things. It brought him fortune and favor from that GovCo subdivision. So much so that he was able to “save” a number of Jews from being sent to the work camps. For Oscar life was good.
However, we know that the GovCo that ran his sector ended in ruin and was replaced with one chosen by the Allies’ GovCo. This new GovCo found it had no need for Schindler’s pots. Oscar then tried to work in the relatively free market post WWII. He failed, repeatedly, to turn a profit selling his sub-standard pots and died penniless.
Much of the global auto market has been run by the likes of Oscar Schindler’s “pay to play” strategy. They, too, will fail if they don’t return to making products that a free market will embrace and reject GovCo’s demands and desires.
So ends our economics lesson for today.
That was one of the takeaways I got from that movie, too. Probably not what Spielberg intended.
And Eric, belated condolences about your mom. May she rest in peace.
“Not what Spielberg intended” indeed. The money quote is the text over the end of the movie that is supposed to make us feel sorry for ol’ Oscar. The parasitic SOB got what he deserved…good and hard.
In addition to being CEO of GM, Mary Barra sits on the board of Disney, another failing giant due to pursuit of the Woke.
It may be too late for GM.
And Disney.
Didn’t know that, Roscoe. But it completely makes sense.
EeeVee Mary started believing in Disney’s warped, Woke fairy tales. These were resoundingly rejected by Disney’s target audience, which wanted no part in having their cultural heritage inverted, satirized and bastardized.
Now it’s GM’s turn to be savaged:
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your market grow?
With battery cells, and cockle shells,
And pretty faggots all in a row.
NEXT!
I still really believe that these car (now device) manufacturers are playing both sides. Externally, they have been putting on the guise of “we don’t want any trouble” but internally, I’m pretty sure, they have been the ones that have been pushing this shit. Granted, I don’t mean the rank and file, middle management, or the automotive workers.
I’m talking about a few unavoidable facts of life here. First of all, while people think of organizations like Ford and GM (or Texas Instruments for that matter) as “American” companies, most (if not all) corporations have become multinational. And by that, I don’t mean they’re from fucken Zimbabwe or an OPEC country. I mean that these corporations have been directed and guided by people that live in the EU (or have dual citizenship, etc.) or they are HEAVILY influenced by eurofaggotry (e.g., WEF and $$$$$$$$).
The second unavoidable fact, that we all know but somehow give some “American” corporations a pass on is that our government doesn’t write laws anymore and hasn’t for quite a long time. Just like how Israel will “grease the wheels” of our “political machinery” to the tune of hundreds of millions and receive TRILLIONS in return. These multinational corporations do exactly that.
They can play victim and “just want to get along” all they want but that isn’t even slightly believable. Just like they have millions to spend on “lobbying” for what they do want, they sure as fuck can spend the same on what they don’t want if they are interested enough.
SOMEHOW they are not interested enough. Huh.
So now, they are going to once again play both sides of the coin. Just a little different tune with Trump around. That is, “oh poor us, we had no choice!” meanwhile, behind the scenes they are absolutely going to do everything in their power to stop Trump and CONTINUE to pursue THEIR eurofaggorty agenda.
Fuck Ford, GM, and all the rest of them. They deserve nothing other than to collapse. But watch how that isn’t going to happen. It’s a fucken scam.
Well said, XM. At the end of the day, people do what they want to do. If they want to wear a mask, they’ll wear one; if not, they’ll find any excuse not to wear it. The reason why most wore a mask in 2020 is because they WANTED to wear it. There’s really no other explanation for it.
The reason why car makers kowtow to the “eurofaggotry” agenda (as you put it) is because they WANT to. And they want to because all of them have been infiltrated by communists, which means they’re more interested in promoting the communist agenda (which includes immobilizing the population by taking away their cars) than in turning a profit.
If you want a lover
I’ll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I’ll wear a mask for you…
Words from the late great Leonard Cohen.
I agree that the U.S. auto manufacturers seem to have wanted the switch to EVs and were happy to play along with the “green new deal” feminized lefties. Switching to EVs in theory would relieve the U.S. manufacturers of having to continue to produce quality machined products. It seems there has long been a steady movement in this country away from ensuring there is a continuing supply of expert machinists and other necessary manufacturing talent. We see this also in the aviation sector. The U.S. seems never to have fully embraced apprenticeship learning programs other than through the military or unions. Building EVs probably sounded easy — just buy some motors, batteries, and electronics from someone else, assemble the parts, run a lot of fancy advertisements, and collect the profits. But oh wait, it’s not so easy. And now they have another huge mess on their hands.
‘Building EVs probably sounded easy’
It also sounded like a yellow brick road to wealth. Lighting Jim and EeeVee Mary really thought they were going to get rich like Elon. Didn’t work. He got there first, and pocketed all the free money. Now the silly fad is over. Oh well, back to the
drawing boardbankruptcy court! 🙁Yup! And back to the government bailouts because despite being absolutely wrong about the EV boondoggle, surely, they are too big to fail! Our government can’t just sit idly by and let utterly failed businesses just close their doors! Goodness no.
That way, they can all get together to figure out the Next Big Thing that they’re going to spend our money on. Will anyone be surprised when that includes some halfway goal that still includes EVs? I won’t!
I spit in the face of modernism that seeks to kill the V-8, diesels or efficient cheap 4cyls for beating around or my motorcycles, horsepower, torque and common sense cant be replaced, by dual-turbos, EVs, and BS. I bought one of the last made hemis, a 45th anniversary corvette, an old work ram, a diesel grand cherokee, a maxda cx5 and a bmw bike. Living your life your way is the best revenge and resistance, especially when politics are corruption and voting is an illusion..
I second that!
With Musk advising Trump, I wonder if Trump will rescind the EV regs.
That is a great question, I think no recession is going to come!
From today’s Liberty Daily:
https://thelibertydaily.com/u-s-automakers-think-theyre-beyond-point-no/
Pull quote: ““In my view, we should end all government subsidies, including those for E.V.’s, oil and gas,” Musk said last week.”
Personally I think he should do the SpaceX thing and rapidly iterate something like a rotary vane engine. Something groundbreaking and highly efficient. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gowBdEj2NsU
I love the power density of the rotary vane engine. But the sliding friction on the ends and the sides of the vanes seems like a lubrication headache. We need to gather some engineers in a room and figure this out!
If you do a rotary driving a generator you have a really intriguing power pack for an electric motor setup. Even better would be a turbine or diesel with the ability to run on multiple fuels.
But car companies are NOT run by engineers. They are run by paper pushers and grifters. So the easy, wrong answer will continue to be pushed.
A rotary would be very cool since the configuration would slap nice on the end of an electrical motor.
I respectfully submit for your consider the liquidpiston gensets.
https://www.liquidpiston.com/