If you want an international perspective on this, then I'd say that the American car industry is probably 5 - 10 years behind Europe or Japan. Having moved to Canada in 2003, I was used to European and Japanese cars. My last two before coming here were a Honda S2000 and a Mercedes Ghelandewagen. The former is state of the art in terms of engineering and brings to medium priced sports cars some of the technology available from Honda's Formula 1 experience. Whilst there are good American sports cars, by and large the technology is old. Example - the Corvette uses a push rod engine - technology from a half century ago.
Second issue - in Europe, about half the cars sold are diesel. Low sulphur diesel is available everywhere, at every gas station. Here many of the gas stations don't stock diesel in any form and low sulphur is still as rare as hens' teeth. The new generation of common rail diesel engines are available in Europe on almost every car from every manufacture. If in doubt, check out UK web sites on the various manufacturers. Not one BMW is available in diesel form here. In Europe, they're pervasive and I can tell you from hiring one in France for two weeks, their diesel engine is nothing short of amazing, fast, refined and very economical. For reasons I really don't understand, neither they nor the other European or Japanese manufacturers (VW excepted and now also one diesel merc available) ship them to America, maybe because there's no market for them. But the new diesel engines are quiet, don't smell, give FAR better mileage than gas engines (and arguably better mileage than hybrids which is a new technology already showing teething problems), have great torque at lower revs. where you need it and are cleaner. Lastly, service intervals for the same car here is about twice what is required in Europe. Example, my S2000 had service intervals every 9000 miles in the UK. Here, they insist every 5000. Same car.
My partner drives a diesel Passat which returns 50 mpg in style and comfort. I drive a gas Toyota Tacoma because I need a pickup. Diesel engine option unavailable here although I can buy a diesel Tacoma off the lot in Europe. Not one small diesel pickup is available here although there are plenty big ones that sound rather like my tractor.
I'm not being unAmerican in offering this opinion and don't intend to offend anybody. I actually like living here which is why I chose the continent as my home. But the current problems Ford and GMC are facing, billion dollar losses and a consequential rush to restructure, illustrate the market stresses that the major manufacturers are experiencing. I wish I was wrong in this, but I think there is a real danger that the American car industry will go the same way as the British did through a lack of r & d and head in the sand management that has resulted in the manufacture of vehicles that are obsolete before they come off the production line.
