Of course, the big 3 want to get in on the tax payer funded buyout plan. With their businesses in turmoil, I’m not so shocked that they’re asking for some help. To get a piece of the pie, they’re trying to prove worthy and prove they’ll be successful in years to come, strategically thinking of what’s to come for each brand.

There has been so much overlap between brands, I’ve always wondered what sort of business sense it made to offer so similar products in the first place. Honda has the Honda line and the higher end Acura, Toyota and Lexus, VW and Audi. Makes sense.

GM is asking for a few bil ($12-16b to not be exact) and is working doubly hard with the Saturn retailers to figure out what to do with the brand… Is it just me or does it seem like a natural fit to move the brand towards the green mindset? Subaru is the AWD brand. Mitsubishi is cutting it’s offering back and focusing on it’s niche, cutting the Galant and producing high-end Evos in the US factory. VW is a cult. Volvo is safety. BMW is a driving machine.

Personally, I miss my 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight and and 1987 Plymouth Reliant K.