The problem with the American auto companies is that they are too slow to respond. My sources tell me that it takes an American auto company 5 years to develop the smallest innovation. That means a new idea takes 5 years from conception to construction. In contrast, the Japanese take only 8 to 12 months to do the same. Even if by some miracle someone gave the American auto companies the ultimate innovation, it would take them 5 years to receive a dime of profit. If the American auto companies are too large for their own good, we can only hope that some visionary lawmakers provide a way to break them up into smaller independent units. To be independent would mean they would not answer to any auto czar. These smaller units would rise or fall on their own merits. The competition for innovation would be against science. The net result in my opinion would encourage measured risk taking. A creative and nimble company is better than a company that is set in its ways and failing. I have been looking to buy a production electric car for over 30 years. I know I am not alone in my desire to own an electric car. I now drive 2 Toyota hybrids because I am tired of waiting for the big 3 American auto companies. I intend to stay the course until the big 3 innovate their way out of this mess.
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