I understand that the revolutionary hybrid vehicles that you intend to manufacture will carry a certain price tag. Will these vehicles be affordable? As I was saying yesterday to another manufacturer, given the current economic crisis, many people are losing their jobs and taking pay cuts. Consequently, what's needed right now are more affordable vehicles.
The situation is not about to change, because even if the economy does recover, wages and purchasing power will have decreased so dramatically that the consumer will be looking for a vehicle that matches his purchasing power. If the crisis continues until 2010 or 2011, salaries will not increase during this period. Hourly wages will have been slashed by $3, $4 or $5. Workers will not have recovered these lost wages when the economy rebounds in two years' time. Their purchasing power and their creditability will have suffered tremendously. They will still be in debt, but their ability to repay their debts will have taken a hit.
We need to adopt a new approach, like we did in the 1970s. We need to build cars that have the bare minimum in terms of features, that is a motor, a transmission and doors. In order to compete, these cars should be as affordable, as low-cost, as possible.