That has to be good news.
But many folks aren't going to be happy.
Those laid-off workers are going to be brought back because the demand for GM pickups is so strong.
Consumers want their trucks, and they don't care how much the price of fuel is rising. Customers can be told what's good for them, but when it comes to buying decisions, they make up their own minds.
It will be even more difficult for the automobile companies to meet the new corporate average fuel economy standards if consumers want the same product mix. It won't be impossible, but it will be tougher.
Many people think that as the price of gasoline rises, consumers automatically will shift to small, fuel-efficient vehicles. Well, it ain't necessarily so. I am not sure how high the price of fuel has to go before pickup and SUV buyers look elsewhere, but it hasn't happened yet. Whether it is $4 a gallon or $5 a gallon is unknown, and I hope we don't find out any time soon.
Washington should realize that it can't mandate that consumers buy what Washington thinks they should have rather than what they want.
Automobile dealers have known that for decades, and nothing has changed except the attitude in Washington that it can mandate consumer demand.
It is poetic justice that this year's National Automobile Dealers Association convention will be in San Francisco, home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Last November's election told Washington that hometown interests were not the same as the interests of Congress. Now we have even more automobile retailers in Congress.
There will be many issues discussed at NADA this week, but none is more important than how to balance the desires of Washington with the wants and needs of the American consumer.
It is important that NADA gets the message to Congress: What Washington wants is not necessarily what will sell on Main Street.
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