On more than a few occasions, numerous people recently have accused Detroit of building cars Americans don’t want. People are blaming Detroit’s choice in car production for their desperate position.

Bullocks!

There are many reasons the Detroit Big-Three are failing. However, they have build exactly what Americans WANT. Note the word choice. WANT. Americans have a love affair with large trucks and fast cars. Cars like the Ford F-150, the Ford Mustang, Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Corvette are the American cars people WANT. They are stylish, reliable, fast and are enjoyable cars to be in. In the past 15 years the American car companies have realized they need to compete on a reliability level with Japanese automakers becuase that’s what American’s started to value in a way they never had before. However, as gas prices started to rise and the economy started to take a nose-dive, Ford, Chevy and Dodge started to build cars like the Chevy Cobalt and Ford Fusion hybrid get over 30MPH and are as reliable as their Japanese counterparts. Even their styling is starting to come along. So, why is GM, Ford and Chrysler are in such dire straits?

The simple answer is labor unions and the huge liability of unions and their pensioning system. Almost $1500 from every car goes to pay for liabilities for employees that no longer produce cars. The complex answer has to do with generally poor judgement about labor contracts and leveraging credit beyond what was reasonable for an auto manufacturer. Poor mangement decisions from a group of people who thought the car business could continue this unlimited growth have put the companies in a bad position. So, what do you think? Do American car companies make cars people want? Am I totally wrong?

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I’m a huge fan of the BMW built Mini Cooper. My mom has a Type S and there’s very few cars I would feel as safe putting her in. As a bonus, it’s her all time favorite car she’s ever owned (and my parents have owned almost 45 cars in almost 50 years of marriage) and I can’t blame her, the car is a hoot! However, many have questioned how safe the car actually is due to its pint sized chassis. The following pictures should allay any  worries about how safe the Mini Cooper really is:

The above are pictures take at the scene by a fireman with a camera phone. Below is an account of the incident:

These pictures were taken by one of the firemen who were called to the scene, with his camera phone. The officials who responded to the accident could not believe that the Mini (and I) sustained so little damage. The other vehicle involved is a Chevy Tahoe. I was driving south on a one-way street and the other driver was driving west, also on a one-way street. The other driver ran a red light (that had been red for a long time) and appeared in the intersection just in front of me as I came through. I didn’t even see them. I hit the passenger’s side of Tahoe head-on, and the Tahoe rolled. In one of the pictures, you can see the Mini-shaped dent in the vehicle that is on its side. The driver of the Tahoe was unhurt and did get a ticket. She was also insured.

It’s great to see everyone was ok, but there’s a certain part of you that has to say, “Ha! That’s for acting like you own the road.” Such a huge portion of the SUV drivers out there act as though they own the road, ignoring other cars while merging, not using turn signals and, as above, running red lights.

Source: Jalopnik