Twenty years from now, an American-made car is going to be as odd as an American-made television is now.

I think that's exactly where we were headed already. Do you agree? Or do you think the auto industry was thriving before Obama?

China is laughing its ass off at us. What other competitor so cheerfully shoots themselves in the kneecaps?

Again, you are a man who lives in an alternate reality.

China Is Said to Plan Strict Gas Mileage Rules

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By KEITH BRADSHER
Published: May 27, 2009

HONG KONG — Worried about heavy reliance on imported oil, Chinese officials have drafted automotive fuel economy standards that are even more stringent than those outlined by President Obama last week, Chinese experts with a detailed knowledge of the plans said on Wednesday.

With hazy smog a frequent condition in Beijing and other Chinese cities, China is seeking ways to impose more fuel efficiency.

The new plan would require automakers in China to improve fuel economy by an additional 18 percent by 2015, said An Feng, a leading architect of China’s existing fuel economy regulations who is now the president of the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation, a nonprofit group in Beijing.

The plan is going through the interagency approval process, with comments sought from automakers, and is scheduled for release early next year, he said.

The Chinese government tends to make few changes in automotive regulations once the interagency review process has started.

The average fuel economy of family vehicles in China is already higher than in the United States, mainly because cars in China tend to be considerably smaller than those in the United States — and are getting even smaller because of recent tax changes.

Cars with small fuel-sipping engines are now subject to a 1 percent sales tax, while sports cars and sport utility vehicles with the largest engines are subject to a 40 percent sales tax.