Quote:
Originally Posted by Number 3
But the question is, without government intervention would we have what we have today.
Remember the first airbags? GM introduced them long before they were required. No one bought them. Expensive, yes. But no sales.
|
I actually believe we would have it better that we do now if the Gov't had stayed out of regulating what automakers must produce.
Yes, airbags used to be very expensive and so few bought cars with them. Microwaves and DVD players were at one time expensive and few people had them. As market forces were allowed to guide things, the prices came down. Now almost everyone has DVD players and microwaves. New features in cars would have done the same thing.
Do you think if the Gov't stayed out of forcing higher MPGs the automakers would have never tried to get better MPGs? Of course not. If GM could make a ~400HP V8 muscle car that got 35MPG, while Ford's 400HP muscle car only got 20MPG, common sense says GM would be selling alot more of their muscle cars and thus Ford would be investing R&D resources to close the gap. And GM would be trying to keep their advantage. Sounds like a cycle where enthusiasts and environmentalists both win to me.
Just like the cell phone makers keep making better and cheaper phones. They are tring to one-up the competition and market their products to the consumer. They aren't having to meet Gov't imposed regulations at the same time. I firmly believe the automakers could have made bigger strides if they could have simply designed and built cars while focusing solely on the consumer, without being forced to put R&D resources where the Gov't forced them to.
Back to a 4-cylinder Camaro. I don't hear large groups of people clamoring for one in the 6th Gen lineup. But I sure hear alot of people hoping that the 6th Gen Camaros get more power though....