Yep, the automakers are already telling us they are going to ask for bailouts if you read between the lines. Of course, it will be couched as necessary to help the workers and save the pensions of the retired autoworkers.
In 2008 GM made the case that the American automakers were worthy of government guaranteed loans so they could re-tool to make fuel efficient cars. They got the money and proceeded to make bigger trucks than ever, bigger SUV's and stopped making smaller sedans and passenger cars, saying they couldn't make them at a profit. But they didn't say it like that, they said the American consumer doesn't want smaller more efficient cars, there is no demand. And, of course, if they can't make them efficiently, there is no demand because they cost too much. It's a manufacturing problem, not a demand problem. A much smaller car should cost much less to make.
This problem is compounded by the wealth divide. If all the profits flow to the top 20%, then new car buyers will have a surplus of money and will be able to easily afford big, fuel guzzling cars. Then the trickle-down autos will be used fuel guzzling vehicles for the lower-middle class to buy when the top 20% decides to upgrade to the latest and greatest. When I was young there was a surplus of used, efficient cars on the market. The used car buyer in America today has no such choice. For the same amount of money they can buy a big powerful guzzler or an old, sacked out Honda Accord. This is a direct result of the wealth divide and it benefits oil companies by keeping new car production focused on supplying the market with gas guzzlers. The automakers and the oil companies with their big refineries are almost one and the same - they are co-dependent. It's time to break that co-dependency.
I say, enough with bailing out the big automakers who always promise to make smaller, more efficient vehicles but, as soon as they get the money, then turn around and say "There is no demand for smaller, fuel efficient vehicles, we make what the market wants or we go out of business". This distortion of capitalism has gone on long enough, let them eat their own words - don't give them money to build smaller, more efficient vehicles because they have already told us there is no demand for that! Let's take them at their word. No more money to make EV's, there is no demand for EV's. They will take the money and continue to make big gas-guzzling trucks and SUV's.
How many times will the American tax payer be fooled? We can't blame this on politicians because we are the ones who let them do it. Let's let capitalism work!
