I bought my Prius (which is HUGE compared to the Ford Aspire I'd had before it) because it was comfortable, drove well, and felt like the right thing to do. If I ever buy an SUV out of fear, I guess the terrorists really will have won.

Bernbart, your premise is off. Ford does what Toyota (and Nissan, and Honda, and GM, and etc.) do -- they build and sell cars in the US market that sell in the US market. They build and sell in the Euro market vehicles that sell in the Euro market. As long as there is little incentive for Americans to buy small, fuel-efficient, less polluting cars, and plenty of incentive (read, cheap gas) to buy bigger, more powerful ones, they will.

Tax Gas. Tax Horsepower. Then you'll see a change, or enough revenue to create pub-trans alternatives.

PS -- Ford also sells small, fuel-efficient Japanese cars in the US, they're just branded Mazda.

as soon as everybody else does.

I recently had to move out of NYC because I could not afford to pay $1,000 a square foot for a shoebox. I had to learn how to drive. Then I had to buy a car. As far as the learning-how--to-drive part goes, here's what I learned: I'm getting fucking blown off the road in this compact car the driving school uses. Literally. The tailwind of these humongous monster trucks, SUVs, Tundras, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers, Acadias, custom vans and commercial truck traffic was making it difficult for me to stay on the damn highway. And the utter contempt with which the owners of these towering hulks treated someone in a poky lil car was downright frightening.

There was no way I was going to purchase a tiny fuel efficient car and then sit way down there, only a few inches above the roadway, while people sitting four feet above my head were going to run my cute putt-putt off the road. I bought a crossover SUV with more airbags than any other car on the market at the time, because American drivers are pugnacious and have entitlement issues, two things which are extremely dangerous on the crowded expressways where I live. I wasn't going to be one of those people who has to be pried out of the bent tuna can of a car I see pretty much every morning in photos from my local newspapers. Nuh-uh. And for those of you who want to cite the rollover issue -- electronic stability control and electronic roll over mitigation have reduced rollovers; the fact is that a your chances of being killed by an SUV or light truck are much higher if you are in in a small car. Since most of the vehicles on the road where I live are either SUVs, light trucks, vans or minivans, that, coupled with the unbelievably aggressive driving here averaging about 80 mph, made my decision for me. Fuel efficiency is nice, but everyone is looking out for Number One on the roadways, and I'm no different. Saving gas to save the world and to save a few bucks is all well and good, but saving my life and my kid's life is my first priority. Selfish me.

I wish this wasn't so. I wish everyone drove responsibly and not under the influence of alcohol in a nice, fuel-efficient car, but that's not reality. You can argue until you're blue in the face. I'm a new driver, I'm over the age of 45 and I want to be on an equal footing with the bad guys. If that makes me a bad guy - so be it. At least I don't treat people in small cars as if they have a nerve to be on MY roadway, the way I see so many other people behaving.

I find it rather amazing that FORD makes 2 of the most obnoxius gas guzzing vehicles (Expoler & Expediton for the U.S. market,

but makes fuel effeicnt cars for the Euopeon market.

If they can do it for Europeon market, they should be able to do it for the U.S. market.

Since Americans seem not to be able to sacrifice for the common good, we need to heavily tax gas guzzlers and use the money to

explore alternatives fuels and public transporttion.

Japan had the bullet train in 1969-France first got the TGv tains in 1984. The U.S. led the world in train transportation in 1800s, but tore up many tracks in the 1970s. Teh U.S. lags behind even thirdd wrkd countries in public transportation. We have no high speed rails? Something is very wrong.

... that American companies are just BADBADBAD, and foreign companies goodgoodgood?

So why, exactly, is your Prius enough penance for the Tundra and the RX400 and the GS300 and the FJ Cruiser and the Sequoia?

The Us.S auto companies are in financial trouble. Toyota is profitable and creting jobs in the U.S.

Good greif. I gave up my gaz guzzling U.S made cars years ago. I have been driving Toyotas and Acuras since the 1980s, and getting better milage than teh new standards set by congress. In 1990. I took a trip 1/2 way accross the country, over the rockies in my 1986 Toyota Celica. Not ony did my car never loose power, as I passed all the American made cars going up steep grades,but I got 50 miles per galon on this road trip. I was laready getting mroe than 36 per gallon in the city.

Younger genration is polluting the planet for ther own children by driving them "everyhwere" in gas guzzling SUVs.

The Democrats are being gutless wonders on this issue. The Republicans could care less or are in denial about climate change, the US population is "unclear on the concept" of "sarafice". In my neigborhood, all the older people are buying Toyota Prius, younger fmailies have 3-4 cars and more than one SUV and all their nannies show up in SUVs

Fact: I've driven my Prius 108,000 miles in three years.

Fact: Living near the Canadian border in a northern city, I've averaged slightly better than 50 mpg during that entire time, including driving in temperatures colder than 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

Fact: I received my $1500 extended warranty back last week because my car had required ZERO in work except oil changes and tire rotations by the time we hit 100,000 miles.

Fact: I've camped in my car, which fits all my food, clothing, photography equipment, tent and camping materials for a week with room for my air mattress and sleeping bag for nights when it's too rainy to tent camp.

Fact: There is no other car in the world that would allow me to do all this while getting this kind of mileage and the amount of emissions the Prius has.

Fact: Sometimes companies like to make a profit.

Fact: Despite wanting to make a profit, Toyota has done a great deal, including subsidizing the cost of the Prius, to give this car the best chance it could in the wasteful American market.