Recently my car hit a minor milestone…100,000 miles.

Now why would I waste my time even telling you this, well it is because it coincides with the recent strike of the United Auto Workers.

Now this post is not about how the UAW is wrong in striking, nor is it to state that my 1999 Hyundai Accent is actually better than yours, rather it is about how our US cars are just not competing with foreign auto companies in producing quality products that can compete.

It is secrete that the big three have been struggling over the past decade or three to compete in the global marketplace. Many things have caused this, but in my mind the principal causes are a lack of investment in energy efficient cars and, related to that, an over investment in SUV’s; furthermore they did not invest in quality, rather in quantity. They simply did not anticipate higher fuel prices and people thinking that bigger is not always better. That combined with a general feeling that the cars were not good caused the crisis we see today.

Look at the facts, SUV’s were huge in the 90′s… gas was cheep and times were good, they did not see the writing on the wall and failed to adapt. But times started to change, gas hit $1.25, $1.50, $1.75 and still auto makers refused to accept that, one day, people may not want to pay $80 every week just to get to and from work.

Today Detroit’s population is the same today as it was when Henry Ford was five years into production of the Model T. The jobs just are not there anymore and the main reason lies with the companies who refused to adapt. This should come as no surprise, it took a law to get seatbelts into cars, it took a law to get crumple zones into cars, and it took a law to get airbags into cars; the US auto industry refuses to adapt and it is paying the price with lower sales and union problems.

And so I come back to my car, 100,000 miles and all. I am sure it will go for another 30, 50, perhaps even 75,000 miles with out any problems; after all the most expensive thing I have had to replace are my tires. My next car will probably not be US and our nations economy will continue to suffer, all because the auto industry refuses to adapt to the needs of the market. I am sure that other consumers are thinking the same thing.