Chrysler to introduce “zero emissions” auto, the Fiat 500e. Like the Chevy Volt, Chrysler expects to lose between $8,000 and $9,000 for each one it sells. Fortunately, Chrysler doesn’t expect to sell many, else they would go broke……..again.
But, why are auto companies spending $millions and $billions on designing and manufacturing cars they know no one will buy and lose money on everyone they sell?
In short, the anti-business practices of the blue states, with California leading the way. California places conditions on auto manufacturers to offer wasteful, environmentally questionable vehicles with little utility, in order to do business in the state. Many other states, such as, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, have followed their lead.
Such is the thinking and hubris of the lunatic left. Because they want these useless vehicles, they think the can alter the laws of supply and demand. Worse, they believe they can force the rest of the country and its people to buy garbage they don’t want. The problem, of course, is that they don’t work very well. They don’t even accomplish what they supposedly set out to do, that is zero emissions. They are metal cars for crying out loud.
If this country continues to allow these idiotic states to hold our auto manufacturers hostage, then between them and the unions, they will be broke again, and soon. Jobs will continue to be lost and the imbeciles will continue to blame evil economic laws.
Read more here, and for the WSJ, click on this Google link.
h/t Lat
Peugeot and Citroen sit on mountains of unsold electric cars – stopped production lines, one or 2 years worth of inventory waiting for eco-conscious rich customers who don’t really NEED a car but want to buy something that looks similar.
Maybe Fiat, the owner of Chrysler, has bought the inventory for pennies on the Dollar and remolds them.
Lol, maybe. Where ever they get this garbage from, we know someone is taking a bath.
Oh I see. Those Cali regulations. For a time, Ford owned that Norwegian EV company, called Think! I seem to remember, for the same reason; didn’t really want to sell the golf buggies dressed up as cars. Ford later found some other way to fulfill the regulations and sold the EV company to some sucker, it collapsed like it does every 5 years and some other sucker re-infused it with money. It’s a kind of undead company.
Lol, yeh, like a used party girl no one wants.
If I were trying to sell this type of car…. I’d make it at least eye appealing.
MG Midget?
Convertible / Hard top / two seater.
Yeh, looking like something akin to the dune-buggy you and your friends pieced together as teens doesn’t really appeal to the consumer side of a person.
Best way to judge how a state is doing?
http://www.dailymarkets.com/economy/2012/04/21/u-haul-rates-confirm-the-great-california-exodus/
The problem with all of this is that during the California exoduses, the pinhead export their politics. They don’t learn. Their migration has infested Oregon and Washington already.
Chrysler made the car butt ugly on purpose so they wouldn’t sell too many of them and loose profits. That and to send the message that green = useless ugly cars that nobody wants. There’s some top level management folks in Chrysler ROFL behind closed doors.
Lol, you may have a point there. Saves on the bottom line.
While you’re right about the butt-ugly, they actually didn’t make a new design.
The Fiat 500 was an old ugly small Fiat and it was “rebooted” in 2009 or so ; bigger physical dimensions and slightly more rounded design , gets sold a lot in Europe as a 2nd car for wifes, similar to the new Mini by BMW.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500
These cars count as “cute” in Germany. The segment was started by the Volkswagen New Beetle. They intentionally look like toy cars from a bizarroworld.
“They intentionally look like toy cars from a bizarroworld.” And with comfort and drive nearly as good, coupled with reliability/longevity issues of a toy.
Well, not for the Volkswagen. It’s a Golf on the inside. You can shoot it half dead and it’ll still drive you across Eurasia.
Is that a comment about the robustness of the Volkswagen, or are you including the normal shooting practices of the populations throughout Eurasia?
Both. You have to consider for which purpose the Kraft Durch Freude Wagen was originally constructed.