US Economy

rabman5 said:
Detroit (metropolitan area) is STUGGLING! The automotive industry is STUGGLING! Too many foreclosures to count. Too many homes on the market, even in the affluent areas. Automobiles are the main industry and the American companies are hurting big time. GM is closing plants and laying off blue & white collar workers now. Unemployment is at a 20 year high. unfortunately, there isn't much tourism in the area. It is a bleak picture. :(
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The US Auto industry is struggling because they try and market s**t cars.... Trucks on the other hand are a different story but that is also changing.
 
milk is 5 dollars a gallon. that's fucking insane. basically.. 10 bucks for a staple meal. it used to be like 5 or 6 bucks for some breakfast food.

someone had a really good breakdown of how much everything would cost if it were sold by the gallon. [muchO apologies for not remembering who posted it!] needless to say.. that left me a bit stunned.
 
20ducks said:
Many of the illegal immigrants are coming from Mexico and Central American countries.
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In South Florida I noticed a very heavy Cuban and Hatian population. The Mexican immigrants can really be found near developing areas. There are no where as many Mexicans as you will find in say Ga or Tx.
 
Shipkiller said:
The US Auto industry is struggling because they try and market s**t cars.... Trucks on the other hand are a different story but that is also changing.
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the quality of US vehicles has increased a lot in the past 20 years. The biggest problems are the cost of American workers (especially those with UAW) and the ridiculous compensation packages the executives receive. Also, on the topic of trucks, now that gas prices have gone up, people aren't buying the trucks anymore. GM is trying to drop the Hummer line altogether. Ford F-150 sales are WAY down for the first time ever. Things, they are a'changing.
 
Same thing that happened over here 20/30 years ago really, the US was always quite unique in how long it couls sustain a market for big guzzlers. It's no bad thing I suppose, people will move onto other cars.

Do you see Smart car or similar sales increasing?
 
Wondermike said:
Same thing that happened over here 20/30 years ago really, the US was always quite unique in how long it couls sustain a market for big guzzlers. It's no bad thing I suppose, people will move onto other cars.

Do you see Smart car or similar sales increasing?
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One needs be reminded that for a family or a single person, driving 500 or more miles is no big thing here in the US. No currency change, no language barriers, no frontier crossing....all US. Heck, I drive to HC for a total of 954 miles door to door. I don't know what CoolZ4 or IMZ4N put on their clock LA to SC. After WWII, it is considered a right, not a privilege, to own a number of cars. The houses in my neighborhood no longer sell houses with 2 car garages.
 
Smart cars are here, but i don't see them being as popular as in Europe. IMHO their greatest benefit is their size, not fuel economy. I think in large metropolitan areas where space is a premium (NYC, San francisco) they will be popular. Where I live, the roads are wide and parking is plentiful i don't think we'll se many. There is a Smart dealer 5 miles from my house, but i usually see a Smart car once every two weeks.
 
I was reading up on the cars per head may a good in sight of things to come.
it is said the US has 950 cars per 1000 with the UK a close second with 920 cars per 1000
where as china only has 20 cars per 1000 and almost the same for india so i think are economys have alot worst to come.
 
China nor India have the infrastructure to support the amount of cars or commercial vehicles (trucks/lorries) like the US or Europe at the current time.
 
20ducks said:
China nor India have the infrastructure to support the amount of cars or commercial vehicles (trucks/lorries) like the US or Europe at the current time.
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I would not bet on it. in shanghai Province alone their are 17000 car a week going on the road.
 
20ducks said:
...After WWII, it is considered a right, not a privilege, to own a number of cars. The houses in my neighborhood no longer sell houses with 2 car garages.
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Hmm what about when people can't afford it any more though? Will they switch to a saloon with better consumption instead of a truck, people like AJ and Shipkiller have got F150s don't they.
 
rabman5 said:
Smart cars are here, but i don't see them being as popular as in Europe. IMHO their greatest benefit is their size, not fuel economy. I think in large metropolitan areas where space is a premium (NYC, San francisco) they will be popular. Where I live, the roads are wide and parking is plentiful i don't think we'll se many. There is a Smart dealer 5 miles from my house, but i usually see a Smart car once every two weeks.
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Yep probably right actually, but maybe see more small cars in general. Remember I posted this Toyota a few months back, will it ever take off over there?

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Wondermike said:
20ducks said:
...After WWII, it is considered a right, not a privilege, to own a number of cars. The houses in my neighborhood no longer sell houses with 2 car garages.
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Hmm what about when people can't afford it any more though? Will they switch to a saloon with better consumption instead of a truck, people like AJ and Shipkiller have got F150s don't they.
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All depends on the image really. Do they need one, is more the question. As in for work or hobby. Many of the peeps I live around have one because it is the manly vehicle to have, I guess. A few I know for sure have never hauled a thing or towed a boat or anything. Dunno. Let's see what they have to say.
 
Guzzlers here are bad news, people just don't think sometimes though. They'd rather pay £1500 more for a diesel car to get better economy, but I read recently the average person now needs to keep their car 7 years for diesel to make more sense over petrol. But still everyone wants one :scratchhead:

There are still a lot of 4x4 here too, sales don't really seem to be dropping either.
 
I travel to china 3 or 4 times a year the growth is off the scale what would take 5 years to happen over here is completed with in under a year. The figures are out of this world.
 
20ducks said:
Fuel usage in the US dropped 3% in May and 5% in June. The arabs felt that hit.
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They felt part of it maybe. Top 4 countires exporting oil to the US includes one Arab country....Canada is the top exporter to the US, then Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Venezuela.
 
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