en-us http://www.keithwatanabe.net/index.php Keith Watanabe's Website http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2008/5/3/1a8b9f892627cedea802a61723da5fc3.html Ford, GM and Chrysler are basically dead weights because of their inability to adapt to the changing climate. They have stopped innovation in favor of pandering towards glut. However, where Detroit has failed, others may succeed within America.

Apparently, Tesla Motors has just released their sports car, which looks quite sweet honestly. Now, it is only on order for the moment and at a hefty price starting from $109,000 and won't be released for another 15 months. Stores so far are being planned initially in LA while the company itself is based in Silicon Valley. The big model coming out is the Roadster. But the chief selling point of this two door baby is that's got an all electric engine.

Of course, part of the hoopla has been the help of investors Sergie Brin and Larry Page of Google fame. But this isn't the only player in this game. Down in Carlsbad California, we another player coming out with an incredibly efficient model. This company, Aptera Motors, is producing an electrical model and a hybrid plug-in model as well. Their model looks more futuristic, a bit spacey, if you will, compared to the more sleek and sporty Roadster. The mileage can be impressive 300 mpg at 65 mph. Not too shabby. Also, the price tag is more competitive to a Prius at roughly $27,000 for the electric model.

Then over in Boston you have another innovator, not so much in terms of attempting to reduce our dependence upon oil reserves, but on where we're trying to go. Terrafugia is trying to get us one of the first real "air-cars". While it'll probably be impractical for the majority of the people, it's definitely a start on our way to the Jetson's lifestyle we've all been dreaming about. These puppies allow travel between cities, where commutes might be from San Francisco to LA. It's kinda like driving a prop jet, except that after landing, you continue to drive your car to the office and park it . Certainly, I hope one problem this will solve is forcing people to use the messed up airlines industry and put more control into the driver's hands again.
Certainly, Japan and maybe Korea are getting a leg up over America in terms of the current market. However, what I'm starting to see emerge quite quickly looks promising if these new companies can deliver in the next 2-3 years, where travel and oil are going to be critical issues to most consumers. Electric, hybrid and aviation are certainly going to free us from the dependence upon these bottlenecks that we're currently facing. However, if there's one thing I can depend upon in the American market, it's the ability to adapt quickly and move fast when they need to. And right now, we need to move fast to compete and survive.]]> Sat, 03 May 2008 02:35:00 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2008/5/3/1a8b9f892627cedea802a61723da5fc3.html