Cash for Clunkers from a Sustainable Point of View

With the US governments biggest hit so far securely in the books, how did we come out? As far as aiding the automobile industry we did well, we boosted our failing industry up for a few more months. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have been working hard for the past couple years to create more fuel-efficient vehicles for Americans to drive. While it may seem that they are spending millions more in marketing than anyone else, at least we can say our tax-payer monies are going to a few good TV commercials. Back on topic though, the $3 billion federal program was introduced to reduce the amount of out of date vehicles on American roadways. In doing so we had hoped to reduce the amount of petroleum used per family as well as the emissions expelled from these types of vehicles. The final verdict was far from this stand point. Instead of removing a lot of large vehicles with low mpg ratings, it replaced them with large, some what improved mpg ratings. The most common deals exchanged old Ford or GM pickups for new pickup trucks with slightly better gas mileage. AP analysis found that buyers where 17 times more likely to purchase an F-150 with a 16 mpg, than a hybrid Toyota Prius. In total, about 1 in 7 exchanges where for vehicles that got 20 mpg or worse. So for those of you hoping that Cash for Clunkers would help in converting American drivers from large SUVs and gas guzzling vehicles, better luck next time.