I have read all the glom and doom in the press, and I think it's time for a different perspective. I admit that Ford, and gm do have some problem right now, but I think there's reason for hope.

For Gm Fans, the new full size SUVs seem to be getting great press, and I think they will do well. I think GM is Very smart in offering its first hybrid in a full size SUV. I mean more people still but full size SUVs than Prisuses.

The second ray of hope for gm is their lambda crossovers. If they build the Enclave as is styling wise, this will help turn around Buick. They appear to be good complents to the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade.

The biggest star for gm could be Saturn. They will have the sky, aura, and outlook. This will make Saturn relevant once more.

Ford is making great strides as well. The fusion and Edge will help ford regain some ground in the midsize segment. We all know about the Mustang. The Five hundred will be getting upgraded soon, with the 3.5, and a fusion like nose. Good move since all the five hundred needs is a little more power and style. Ford does have a lambda sized crossover coming out to replace the freestyle, and freestar. If the keep it looking like the Fairline concept, they will have a winner. Ford does have two products that are in need of replacement, in the ranger and Focus. I do hear a new focus is on the way, but they need a new ranger yesterday. I think that if ford sticks with its latest plan For Lincoln, that they will be ok. There's nothing wrong with AWD lux cars, just ask Audi fans. Mercury needs a little more differation, but at least they have product now.

Now, for DCX. They seem to be on a roll lately, but the real test of dcx will come with the new midsized cars to replace the startus/sebring. I think a new challenger would be a good halo car for Dodge, but I would make it a bit more modern than the concept. I also think that they need a small sedan biased on the Caliber, not everyone wants a vibe type of vehicle.

So, in closing, we have a long ways to go, but lets look at the big picture before saying that the us auto industry is doomed.

The majority of my next car shopping list is American made cars. This comes after test driving many sedans, reading articles in car rags, asking around to different owners and my own experiences. The only foreign made mid size sedan I like is actually a 2006 Sonota which I think is a much better value than the overly hyped CamCord. America is making excellent products in the new Impala, Fusion, Charger etc. They would be my first choices for a new sedan in the not so distant future.

They had a big thing on Lou Dobbs tonight. The Tariff Drums are sounding. Protectionism. "Mutuality" is coming hard. Its going to get A lot of people elected .