10% of zero is still zero

Why can’t American car companies manage to produce a fuel-efficient car?
I’ve owned a Toyota Prius for 3 years now. It’s been available in Japan for more than 5 years. I consistently get 50 miles to the gallon, and the car is surprisingly roomy and comfortable and goes pretty darn fast when I want it to.
So, why haven’t the American car companies brought something like this to the market yet? They seem to be so completely obsessed with the next monster truck. Today in the Post, Warren Brown writes about upcoming projects from GM, and practically beams when he tells of the GM hybrid truck — and amazingly, he seems to think that the mileage estimate for the new truck is actually something to be proud of:

Beginning in the fall of this year and running through 2007, GM will market three different hybrid propulsion systems on its cars and trucks. For example, the full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks will combine a gas-electric hybrid system with a 5.3-liter V8 engine. GM’s engineers say the combination should yield a 10 percent to 12 percent increase in big truck fuel economy.

On the Silverado, for example, that would mean going from 18 miles per gallon to about 20.2 mpg.

That’s atrocious. My Prius gets THIRTY miles per gallon more than that, and the Prius isn’t even the highest mileage car out there. The Honda Insight and Toyota Echo both get higher mileage (at the expense of dirtier emissions). So, what’s the excuse for gas-guzzling, high-polluting SUVs? Now, I don’t want to open up the can of worms of the SUV/Anti-SUV battle, but I have to say that people generally don’t think about the consequences of their actions. There are plenty of uses for SUVs, and there are probably plenty of people who own one for a good reason. But what really gets me is the people who just have to have one cause they think that it gives them status, makes them superior, etc. The commercials featuring good looking, athletic guys and their super model girlfriends driving their SUV across the top of a mountain just to look at the stars – I can’t even begin to describe how stupidly bogus this is. But you know me, I’ll try anyway.
Perhaps if everyone wasn’t driving these air pollution machines, you could see the stars from home. Driving these behemoths into the wilderness – that’s the perfect way to keep nature in check, plowing down whatever is in your way. Ever heard of hiking? Bastards. Pissed off that we’re mired in the Middle East, and in bed with Saudi Arabia where women and minorities are treated as slaves, denied simple human rights? Then why would you buy a vehicle that gets 10 miles to the gallon, pumping all your cash right across to the Saudi royal family? I have only ever met one couple who actually uses their SUV for the kinds of activities shown in commercials. And they also own a more fuel-efficient Volkswagen for their other activities.
I dunno. I tend to think carefully about the ramifications of my purchases – what companies will get my hard earned money and who it will or won’t help. Yeah, my car was built in Japan and didn’t help American motor workers (except that I helped keep Toyota and it’s local dealers in business). But American car companies aren’t providing an alternative. I wish they would. When and if GM releases a fuel cell vehicle or a zero-emission vehicle, I’ll be first in line. Assuming it doesn’t cost $30,000 more than the Toyota version and show up 4 years later.
And besides, the vast majority of union American motor workers make far more money than I do anyway.