How the heck can the US car industry respond so quickly to these rule changes?

Lately, the US was pretty much slow on emissions control while Europe and parts of Asia based on Euro X emissions regulations were tightening emissions regulations rapidly. Then now the US Attorney General himself whacks the Administration for tighter regulations.

This is pretty dire news for the American manufacturers, whose engines are antique - they got away with it for years by bypassing tight emissions regs by using the SUV=TRUCKS loophole - while the Japanese and European with their ultra-high-tech engines borne of Euro and Japanese regulations will probably rule the roost for years to come if Eliot Spitzer pulls this off.

In the light of my previous post about the horrendous sales showing of the American auto manufacturers, a further whammy courtesy of Spitzer may well do the Americans a favour by forcing them into what I see as inevitable - don't do the dirty manufacturing work, just design and market the stuff. Leave the manufacturing to the slittly eyed yellow skinned people.