Are GM and Ford really making big gas hogs that nobody wants? GM’s 2009 line up includes over 30 vehicles that get less than 20 MPG in the city but only a handful of passenger cars that get over 20 MPG city mileage. In fact, GM makes half a dozen big pick-ups that get less than 10 MPG in the city. Ford offers exactly one 2009 car—the Focus—that gets over 20 MPG. Even so, until gas prices skyrocketed and the credit crunch hit in mid to late 2008, Americans did want these big vehicles, and Ford and GM’s overseas sales were even stronger than their sales in the U.S.
Fuel efficient American made cars for 2009 include the Chevy Aveo, the Chevy Cobalt, the Ford Focus, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. That’s about it. So the short answer is yes: GM and Ford have a long way to go before they can produce an appealing line-up of fuel-efficient cars Americans want and can afford. Ford used to advertise having “a better idea.” Let’s hope they get one in 2010.
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