Maserati SUVs the Planet
Sergio Marchionne
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Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne got headlines this week at a Michigan auto conference when he took his industry to task for “crying wolf” over federal fuel mandates, telling reporters that going green to meet the Obama EPA’s 54.5 mpg-by-2025 diktat was “very doable.” That should have come as no surprise from an executive who owes its ownership of Chrysler to the U.S. government
Better to judge shrewd Sergio by his actions rather than his words. And I have two words for you: Maserati SUV.
The bigger news this week was that Marchionne is leveraging Chrysler’s iconic Jeep truck brand to add an SUV to the Maserati line in his ambitious plan to increase sales ten-fold to 50,000 units year. The move is a confirmation of plans floated last fall that the Italian fox wants to apply the Jeep platform across Fiat’s other brands, including Alfa Romeo.
Brought to the United States by Obama as a missionary to educate savage natives on the European small-car religion (a key to Chrysler’s giveaway was that Fiat would sell its tiny, 40 mpg Fiat 500 here), Marchionne has instead converted to the American green god — the Almighty Dollar.
Marchionne has learned what every other American executive knows — that trucks are the most profitable vehicles in the U.S. market — making $3,000 to $5,000 per vehicle, versus maybe a grand for a small car.
Maserati’s overlord clearly salivates over Porsche, which broadened its product lineup in the U.S. to make the decidedly un-planet friendly, 18 mpg Cayenne SUV (the sports car brand’s #1 best-seller) — and seen record profits as a result.
While Washington fawned over the little 500’s introduction here last month, Marchionne is set to play SUV missionary to the European continent next month with a Jeep-based Maserati SUV at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Don’t expect a joint appearance with Mr. Obama..
“The vehicle, based on the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee,” reports Autoblog.com, “will likely debut in concept form at first. So it might be a while before we find out whether it will carry Maserati’s own V8 engine or something from the Chrysler parts bin.”
A future with explosive growth in gas-guzzling, ground-pawing, Maserati SUVs? So much for that “very doable” CAFE standard.
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According to my own government statistics, the CAFE standards of today have resulted in 2000 more deaths per year since 1970. That's 80,000 deaths in the US alone that we can blame on this insanity. And given it was a government study on government, I would hazard to guess that number is low.
www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/cafe/docs/162944_web.pdf
That's almost as many American lives as we have lost to combat since the beginning of the Viet Nam War to present. Talk about your blood for oil!
As we push for higher mpg, cars get lighter and less safe. I would put that 80,000+ figure up against any AGW death count from now until eternity.
Those who wish to regulate the lives of others do not respect the intellect of those they endeavor to manipulate. They think they know better how to order your world, and that is insane. Good thoughts, hope to hear from you again.
We have 2 hybrids that get a push start from an electric motor, the Toyota Prius and the Honda CRZ, that can't break REAL WORLD 40 MPG. Both use a 1.5 liter gasoline engine.
The Honda's gross weight is a bit over 1900lbs. It can only do 35-37 MPG MAX! What will it have to give up to get 54.5 MPG? The engine produces 112HP. It would have to be reduced to about 25HP and get the CRZ weight down to 1000lbs to get close to the governments gas mileage standards of 54.5 MPG.
On hot days, sit in the car and stay cool. When the battery dies, go back in doors.
On cold days, sit in the car and turn on the heater. When the battery dies, go back in doors.
On nice days, go around the block a few times, remembering that the battery costs over $30,000 to replace, at least, so using it is to be avoided.
They were really never meant to go anywhere and probably left always plugged in and treated like a new small room in your garage.
Ha Ha Ha, that's great, I like that one.
Well done Charles.
Hee Hee