Ford

Give Them The Money

Give Them the Money!

Who am I talking about?  Why the United States Auto Manufacturers of course.

America, you've got it all backwards. The outrage should be directed at the financial bail out, not at the automobile manufacturers.

A poll says 61% of Americans oppose the bail out of the auto industry and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the Auto Bail Out bill is dead, they don't have the votes.

More interesting in the poll, people do not believe the collapse of the auto industry will affect them. Well, I have news for you, it will affect you, probably more than you can imagine.

Detroit Bailout

One topic no one mentions in the Detroit Bailout controversy is all the offshoring that has been, and still continues, in the auto industry.  GM just announced new plants in Brazil, Russia and India, coinciding with plant closings in America.
 
Guess where the bailout money will go?

 

Story


General Motors to invest $1 bn in Brazil plant

Wed, Nov 19 11:49 AM

Is Detroit Getting Ready to Retool to Make Small Cars?

Another interesting story from Der Spiegel.

German carmaker Opel, owned by American automobile giant General Motors, as well as the European division of Ford could both profit from the current crisis at their mothership companies across the big pond. GM and Ford have been hit hard by falling sales of gas-guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs. With drivers having to pay an average of over $4 per gallon, sales of larger cars have slowed to a trickle, blindsiding US automakers, who have focused for years on the formerly lucrative truck and SUV market. Unable to quickly retool to develop their own fuel-efficient models, GM and Ford are both reviewing their units in Europe -- where compact and subcompact models are far more prevalent -- for possible models that could be produced for the American market.