Go Green Automakers

In this way worthy article, NY Times journalist Daniel Akst asks the following question:

What if a major automaker decided to reinvent itself as the world's first and only green car company, producing only hybrid, clean-diesel and other high-efficiency vehicles?

Now that’s a smart, savvy, and creative way to decommoditize the car industry! (Certainly smarter, savvier, and much more creative than the Employee Discounts for Every One pricing scheme.)

[Kudos to Anita Sharpe at the Worthwhile blog for the heads up.]

Comments

[Troy Worman]

I agree! The 'employee discounts for everyone' campaign is just further evidence of the desperate position of the American automakers. I believe in going green, but I have little confidence any one of the big three could pull it off.

[Justice Mitchell]

Recently my wife and I used said discount to purchase a car. That withstanding, it's survival instinct on the part of GM and riotous envy on the part of Ford and other follow in the wake of GM's best two months in past four years.

GREEN I'm all for. My belief is you will see offshoot brands such as Toyota's Scion and others will make a entry niche with a green line of cars and brand it "X". The "Sequoia" - oh wait that was taken by a GIGANTIC f-ing gas sponge Toyota SUV, how about "The Forester" - OH WAIT! Shit. So I guess they'll just have to think outside of an organic retrofit for a new band.

Just wait, it will happen, the Hummer H6 will be smaller than a SMART© Car in about six years and hydrogen will be the new things to start wars over. But I would look to see the launch of subset brand from, as you noted, the smartest of the manufactures out there. Probably Honda.