Desperate times...

...breed desperate measures, at least as far as the Big 3 auto manufacturers are concerned. In an amusing move (at least to me), Ford has announced that it's going to aggressively pursue "green" automobile initiatives this year, in the interest of turning their profit margin around and digging themselves out of the shallow grave dug for them by a downturning economy and a total lack of consideration for the environment -- a sentiment that hasn't garnered them an awful lot of public support as more and more Americans are looking for ways to make their lives more environmentally-friendly.

The full story is here, but the thrust of it is basically Ford backpedaling like mad and trying to convince people they really do care about the state of our environment, which is why they're suddenly, conveniently interested in the green initiative. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Japanese companies like Toyota and Honda have been making hybrid cars for years, and before the economy tanked people were far more inclined to invest in them than the urban assault vehicles made by the Big 3.

I can't help but laugh a little when I see major companies forced into taking their customers seriously, instead of just telling us what we want. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.