You are wrong to look at this from a consumer's perspective. This is a simple mathematical equation based on maximizing executive compensation. The plight of potential buyers of items which are non-optimal from a corporate executive compensation perspective is simply not important.

We are also at a potential point of inflection, as Chinese cars bypass US models from a technological standpoint. Neither the VW beetle nor the Yugo threatened US car makers, but the underestimation of Datsun (now Nissan) and Toyota by the US manufacturers, the AWU and the various US trade organizations was not that they simply cost less, but that they were far more reliable and technically more advanced than the contemporary US models.

So, I believe that the powers that be will be less likely to let the camel push its nose under the tent than in the past and will leave US drivers driving inferior cars than those driven by, for example, our northern neighbors.

Jeff