Did Anyone Else See That?

“The sales rate has been lower than we thought,” Mr. Leclair said in a telephone interview on Tuesday evening. “We think that is a continuation of a trend of changing consumer preferences away from traditional, truck-based S.U.V.’s toward more fuel-efficient models.”

Um, that’s from an exec at Ford this Tuesday at an earnings-lowering press conference. The part that kills me is the use of the word “think.” Do people still wear Izod shirts and parachute pants in Dearborn too? I mean, HELLO?! Ever hear of Toyota or Honda?

I really hope that this means we’re going to get some better quality, higher gas mileage CARS from U.S. manufacturers this year. I have never bought an import before but the way things are going, either the Big 3 will have to recover or I’ll just have to switch on my own.

Don’t get me wrong. If I could put an electric engine worth a crap in my Jeep Wrangler, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I originally got the Jeep because I wanted to learn a little more about combustion engines and how to repair my own. But at the rate I’m learning, the 2014 SpaceCar™ will be on dealer lots and I’ll have just purchased the Chiltons Service Manual for my 04 Wrangler.