The people who want us to buy "green" cars seem to be the exact same people who don't hesitate to fly their private jets all over the world.

My pickup truck only gets 17 mpg in the city, but considering that it has been driven less than 30,000 miles in 10+ years, I probably haven't used as much gas as Al Gore uses in one flight to preach global warming.

I'd favor it if it would get people to stop buying gas hog vehicles that pollute our planet -- huge cars, trucks, SUVs, motorboats, jet skis, snowmobiles, other toys.

Some of us NEED huge cars...
how would you propose I fit my 6'8" son in the back seat of a compact car?

As everyone who saw "Who Killed the Electric Car" knows, GM was testing electric cars years ago. They decided not to mass-produce them, so they recalled all the test models and crushed them. All the test "drivers" liked them. Too bad, now they're way behind in technology and going bankrupt. Sigh. My family owns four Japanese-made cars. I'd buy American if they were as inexpensive to run.

luann -- I hear you, but... most people driving huge cars do NOT need them. My suburb is awash in huge SUVs driven by thin blond wives and mothers talking to one another on cell phones while they drive their kiddies one mile to school -- because, you know, taking the bus is so...not done. LOL In the case of the HS-age kiddies, THEY are driving the family's (second or third) SUVs. People with four car garages have added pads to park their additional vehicles. It's nuts!

Car companies couldn't sell their small models. People wanted B-I-G, just like they wanted McMansions.

I have relatives who live in NYC proper, yet drive a big SUV. They feel 'safer'. I don't know of any way that will stop people from driving a gas hog...
If I did I would be the president.
I am not against owning/driving a big rig when needed, but how often does a person NEED to? I drive a Ram 3500 when hauling the horses, getting hay- when it is needed. Otherwise I drive a VW Bug. I do not mean to say that everybody should have 2 cars- sometimes it is not feasable- but I have a hard time with the SUV attitude. Seems like it is related to the McMansion train of thought- 'my house is bigger than yours- I must be important'. 'My car is bigger/more expensive- what I drive makes me important'???
America is a great country- we can have what we want- but in today's world I think people laugh at the McMansion and McCar- it seems to have an oppsite effect.
Not saying it is right, just what I am observing by listening/watching.

I view it as similar to what's happened with the Recession. Americans were saving zilch, spending every dime -- often on what I term 'landfill'. Buy. Buy. Buy. Now there's been a huge upturn in savings! The truth of the 'rainy day' has become real.

If gasoline prices rise enough to pinch, more people will think harder about their driving habits. More freight will travel by train.

Way to go Wanda! I said that all along when Gore was touting all over the world complaining about greenhouse gases!

You often see celebs in Prius' while the cameras are on, but then they'll drive to dinner in a Hummer or Navigator.

So many of the trucks and cars get good mileage these days. My step-father gets 28 mpg in his Chrysler 300, which isn't much worse than the little Hondas and Toyotas.

It ticks me off when all the media says that the car companies need to make cars that people want. Obviously people want trucks and mid to large size cars, cause there are a lot of them on the road. This is just hog-wash that no one wants them.

When the supporters of 'green transportation' start riding bicycles everywhere they go I will take them seriously.
Until then, not so much.

Lori

I wish people would get their heads out of wherever they are and realize big cars do NOT have to be gas hogs!

My old GF had a Buick LeSabre - 33 MPG. Her Park Avenue gets 25-30 MPG. Her daughter's LeSabre 27-30 MPG. A friend had a Caprice, 30-35 MPG. Granted, it's not like a friends Metro at 45 mpg or another's Aspire at 40 mpg, but then again I'd much rather take a trip in the Caprice, Park Ave or LeSabre than in the Geo. I've gotten 27 mpg more than once with my van. Granted, it's not all the time but considering it's a shoebox on wheels, that's pretty darn good in my humble opinion. I'm not a little person and with bad hips and other joints, I do not fit in those pretzel-makers anymore. It's was hideously painful driving my sisters Saturn on a 75 mile trip. I had to stop and get out after 50 miles it was so uncomfortable. I can go hundreds of miles without issue in my van, even in my mini pickup when I had that.

To me the sad part was the work on the hydrogen vehicles is essentially dead. That made a lot more sense to me than electric cars. And this hype over hybrids is a lot of hype too when you look at the energy expended to build them and the whole picture. Granted they're in their infancy and that should improve, but if people would just plain quit with the unnecessary driving, many could drive motorhomes since the amount of gas saved making a trip to the store 3 times a day, cruising to the mall, run out to eat every meal instead of making something at home and the myriad of other reasons.

But obviously with the devastation of the economy, people have decided to cut back at least some on the driving. It's sad to say, but in a way it's good in that now if people would LEARN from it, we'd be better off for the future.

I don't like the guy's statement, but he's in business so I understand it. Let's face it, realtors like economic turmoil. More houses to sell. Body shops love ice, snow and hail. Roofers and contractors love tornados and hail. Building supply material providers love hurricanes. The "competition" loves seeing recalls on their competitors' items, etc. You can't tell me Toyota and others aren't smiling over GM and Chrysler's dilemmas. I would venture to say Ford is holding back a Mona Lisa look too.

Regarding the electric cars- how much energy/gases/fuel is used to create the electricity that the car needs? And how long do they have to charge? If it takes awhile. how much better off are we? How much will your electric bill go up by charging your car every night??

What I don't like is that the batteries on cars give them only a certain "range", like 40 miles between charges. Whay if your job is 25 miles from home and you need 50 to get to work and back?

I have a brand new Prius and it's the best car I ever had. It's quite roomy inside and I am tall.I get 47 miles a gallon around town. Haven't done a trip yet. The computer is wild. You can tell your car to dial a number and it does. You can command it to change the radio station, and you just walk up to the car with your key in your pocket and it unlocks. You just press a button to start it.

The guy that the OP is speaking of did say that but he said it while being questioned about the feasibilty of the government "MAKING" GM produce smaller, greener cars. The whole point of the discussion is that people DO NOT want the smaller, greener cars and therefore will not buy them.

His point was he hopes they will when the gas prices rise.If the gas prices don't rise, GM will fail again because they will be stuck with a product that no one wants, courtesy of the government.

Who ever decided that the Government should be running a car company needs to be slapped. They can't handle the responsibilty they already have for goodness sake.

I agree with Lori. I drive my truck because I do feel safer. If someone hits me, I WILL win. Simple as that.
And when all the supporters of green transportation start practicing what they preach, I might reconsider what I drive. I doubt it, but I might.