By David Shepardson, Detroit News - President Barack Obama touted the turnaround of Detroit's Big Three Automakers Tuesday, as he did something millions of Americans do at car shows every year: He got behind the wheel of a bunch of new cars.
He didn't buy any of the new models in his visit to the Washington Auto Show -- and even if he did, the Secret Service wouldn't let him drive them. In numerous interviews, Obama has lamented that he can't go for a drive as president.
Obama made a quick 20-minute round of the auto show as he met executives from General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC.
He praised new fuel-efficient models, but also got into some American-made muscle cars and pickups.
Obama got a look at 18 U.S. models that were lined up and briefly sat in a 650-horsepower Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, a ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Malibu eco, Chevrolet Silverado, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Dart, Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, plug-in Ford C-Max Energi and plug-in Ford Fusion Energi.
"This is a testimony to the outstanding work done by workers, American workers, American designers," Obama told reporters. "The U.S. auto industry is back. The fact that GM is back, No. 1, I think shows the kind of turnaround that it is possible when it comes to American manufacturing. It's good to remember the fact that there were some folks who were willing to let this industry die."
Obama has repeatedly noted that Republican presidential candidates opposed the auto bailout. But the bailout has come with costs. The Treasury Department told Congress this month it had upped its estimate of taxpayers' cost of the bailout to $23.77 billion.
After sitting in the Ford Mustang, Obama called it a "classic" and joked: "This is what I needed in high school."
Told the vehicle can go up to 200 miles per hour, Obama joked: "Of course, nobody ever drives that."
Obama also admired a new Chevrolet Corvette and a Camaro decked out with an American eagle. A friend let Obama drive his Corvette "one time", he said. GM design chief Ed Welburn noted the ZR1 can go 205 miles per hour and the one Obama drove "probably wasn't anything like this."
"You can actually get 20 miles per gallon on this thing. That's not bad," Obama said.
He told Dodge CEO Reid Bigland that his first new car had been a Jeep Grand Cherokee. "How's it selling?" Obama asked.
Bigland joked that Obama's Grand Cherokee would be worth a lot on eBay today. In fact, Obama's former 2005 Chrysler 300c is on eByay for $1 million.
Obama touted the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in. He said the vehicle would have an all-electric range of about 20 miles. "So if you live in the city, you never have to fill up with this. You never have to buy gas."
Obama said the cars were proof Detroit is back.
"We are now back in a place where we can compete with any car company in the world," he said. "I'm just very proud of what we're seeing here."
Foreign automakers had set up a bunch of cars nearby and had been asked by the White House to provide cars. Obama didn't look at them, including many U.S.-built vehicles.
Mike Stanton, president and CEO of Global Automakers, the trade association representing Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and others, said Obama should have looked at their vehicles.
"We are terribly disappointed that the president did not spend time with our manufacturers who have created jobs, employ more than 80,000 people in the United States, invested more than $43 billion and last year built more than 3 million cars here," Stanton said.
Obama probably couldn't take a look at the foreign cars because he was pressed for time. However, its a good point that many foreign brands do account for many U.S jobs.
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