If You Were Starting Up a Car Company, Would You Put Your Factory in Hawaii?

Though I don’t watch broadcast or cable television much anymore, I like the idea of the ABC’s Shark Tank. Actually, when I still had cable, I watched the original Canadian version of the show, Dragon’s Den, since Windsor, Ontario’s CBC affiliate station is generally part of Detroit area cable bundling. As a tinkerer, inventor and small business owner, the idea of a show premised on pitching your business idea to possible angels is appealing to me. However, while all of the “sharks” undoubtedly have been more successful entrepreneurs than I have been, sometimes they make investments that just don’t make sense to me.

On last Friday’s show, one of the potential investors, Robert Herjavec, pledged $5 million in funding to a startup named Zero Pollution Motors to start building cars propelled by compressed air. ZPM says that they will start building the cars in Hawaii sometime later this year.

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  • VoGhost Oh, Mattie, I am BEGGING you to take a course in economics. There's probably a community college near you offering courses for free or very cheap. Seriously, people this ignorant of basic economics really should not be writing this drivel. Stick to what you know: pimping for big oil.
  • Spectator This was an amazing vehicle. Back then Acura knew how to make a plush and comfy seat!
  • Syke F1 fan and normally watch every race, although most of them are DVR'd. I've got my Xfinity box set up to record everything automatically. This past Sunday I watched the race live for a change.
  • Jalop1991 There is no inflation. Everything is cheaper than it was 5 years ago. SHRIMP AND GRITS!
  • ChristianWimmer Exterior and interior look pretty flawless for such a high mileage car. To me this is an indication that it was well-maintained and driven responsibly. It’s not my cup of tea but it’s bound to find an enthusiastic owner out there.And with ANY car, always budget for maintenance.