Many issues are hurting auto industry

TO THE EDITOR:

The auto industry has a multitude of issues plaguing it, from overregulation and a push to an all-EV marketplace to overpriced model offerings with higher-interest loans that have placed many buyers out of the market. The recent union contracts have done nothing to improve the outlook — short-term gains for auto workers but a question of how long their jobs will exist. Just look at what’s on the lots today as examples of why automakers struggle. Too many vehicles that are thousands above base model prices.

The added costs of accessories and safety equipment have led to a rapid rise in the cost of a vehicle. Then add in the future of EVs, which is nothing short of a total failure in offering any model close to an affordable replacement to the combustion engine counterpart. We are also seeing recall after recall, which tends to show a decline in reliability with newer vehicles. It makes people want to keep their older, possibly more reliable, ones.

The proof of that is our aging highway vehicles that have surpassed more than 10 years on average. A lot of this stems from trying to engineer powertrains to meet an ever-increasing demand from environmental agencies to tighten emissions. So many problems to solve for automakers.

JOHN SCOTT, Mount Morris, Ill.
The writer is a former auto technician.