Explain something to me please..

[Freedom]

Part of the bailout is to keep all those workers employed.

Having strings attached, forcing them to retool, is a great idea, I think. I have never owned an American made car. Each time I need a car, I do research, check Consumer Reports, insurance stats, etc. and the American made cars don't pass. American auto makers have needed to retool since the gas crisis of the '70's, IMO.

I bought the Toyota Prius in August. Gas / electric hybrid, does not plug in. I'm getting 48.6 MPG consistently. WOHOO! "Most" of the technology to develop the Prius was developed in the US, and we didn't follow through!

The Honda Civic hybrid is NOT a true hybrid, BTW, the ICE is always running.

[Catty1]

The idea of a hybrid is that much of its energy comes from a non-petroleum source.

However, take good care of it. A Prius, for example, with so much of it made outside the US where environmental controls are lax, takes till 100,000 km or approx 67,000 miles before it begins to make up for the large environmental footprint its manufacture created.

Hopefully this will change in the future.

[Freedom]

Toyota is building a plant here in the US to make the Prius. Won't be long, now.