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Why Ford Is a Goner

Ford has an impressive portfolio of present and future products that Americans want, not what the government wants them to build and that will continue to propel Ford in becoming the largest US automaker in the near future.
Yes, the financing issue with GMAC is real but Ford will most likely get similar treatment either through its present efforts to get TARP funds or through a future court battle.

Chrysler Travesty Hearings Continue

Ford has been gaining market share for the last 7 months and with GM bankruptcy it is not a given that C and GM share will go to T and H.
Ford will be the big winner as the only american auto company still standing without government bailout and with superior products, now and in the pipeline.

Ford's Public Offering Is a Smart Move

Agree with Ford's move. It will be a shortterm setback in stock price, but when the market returns and if GM is forced to go through bankruptcy, the increase in Ford's market share will make the share price loss look insignificant.
With the right conditions $20 price is not wishful thinking.

Will Green Cars Make Detroit Profitable?

We need a national energy policy that includes a gas tax similar to that in Europe and Japan which will stabilize (and increase) fuel prices, so the automakers can plan and profit from fuel efficient vehicles.
Without that the american public will gravitate to larger, safer and more comfortable products with $2/gallon gas, as evidenced by the Prius' collecting dust in Toyota dealerships recently.

Warning: U.S. Auto Crash Ahead

Sensational headlines with no substance.
Saving Chrysler and GM in its present form will be a miracle, however, after restructuring they will be formidable.
If the economy improves and vehicle sales pick up Ford will get a better share of the market but by no means will be the only domestic auto manufacturer.

Legal Complexities as the Automakers Restructure

Merkel writes

"Now, we are nearing the endgame, where GM and Chrysler stocks go to zero, and Ford may as well, as it comes under knock-on stress"

I stopped reading there as this genius does not even know that Chrysler is a private company ...............

Auto Manufacturers Should Take Cue from Computer Industry

Another simplistic approach to a complex problem from an an apparently ignorant columnist.

Automaker Bailout: Take Two

Maybe when unemployment reaches 10% or more, the new generation will figure out that "loyalty" to national products is somehow related to supporting their jobs.
Look at how the other world economies support local manufacture, try and find non-Japanise made vehicles in Japan, or non-Korean in Korea, etc.
30 years ago, domestic vehicle quality was not the best, but, that is no longer the case. GM and Ford produce very competitive products.

Toyota: An All-Electric Car by 2012

Without a US energy Policy, all these electric and hybrids will have no acceptance if gas stays at $3 or so. Note the Prius lost 53% in December. Obviously, Toyota did not see the $1.50 gas prices coming, just like the domestics did not see the $4 gas coming.
Also, battery pack replacement costs predicted for hybrids/electrics is in the neighborhood of $5 to $10,000. How many consumers are going to pay that kind of money for a 5 to 6 year old vehicle, to continue using the elecrical portion of the powertrain?
Many will just revert to the gas engine as their sole powertrain at that juncture.

How the Government Should Manage GM and Chrysler

"And as for the argument that Detroit auto plants are somehow linked to national security, that's equally ridiculous. How long do you think it would take our government to take over the production of the transplants on U.S. soil for military purposes if they thought they needed to? "

Do all the transplant supporters realize that these are not American companies, but mostly assembly facilities by foreign manufacturers. The planning/engineering/r... of all these products is done in the home country, a good percentage of the parts are still imported from overseas and all the profit made from US sales goes overseas.

In the event of a national emergency, where do you think the US will get the technical expertise to design and develop military equipment, even if the government seizes the physical plants. I guess we will have to see if Japanese and/or Korean engineers will be kind enough to oblige.

US fair trade policies have been a disaster for American manufacturers, as noted by facts such as South Korea sells over 600,000 vehicles in the USA but restricts US imports to a paltry 6000 units.

Japan and Korea protects their auto industry through subsidies,currency manupilations and other governmental interventions like a favorable energy policy, whereas the US does absolutely nothing.

The US needs a viable manufacturing base, as we cannot support our way of life by being a "service" economy.

A Modest Proposal For The U.S. Auto Industry: Stop Building Cars

djjkfn56, very good observations.
Detroit has made mistakes in the past but has been competing for years with one hand tied behind their back, when you consider the govt support for their competitors from Japan and Korea and being shut off from the Japanese and Korean markets through unreasonable govt interventions. Also do not forget the games these countries play with currency manupilations, which is common knowledge but the US is unwilling to call them on the carpet for.
Finally, I get tired of hearing these so called wall street types saying that Detroit does not build vehicles that Americans want . In reality, that is precisely what Detroit has done and Toyota and Honda had joined the frenzy by building full size trucks and SUVs to meet the American consumer's demands. The US consumer, until the $4/gallon gasoline crisis, was not interested in fuel economy, and if the US had an energy policy that forced consumer's to purchase energy efficient vehicles, ala Asia and Europe, the domestic industry would have been well served.

Detroit's Big Three and the Democrats' Economic Illiteracy

Here is another perpective ......

www.freep.com/article/...

Washington's Foot Dragging on Automaker Bailout Disappoints Markets

I watched the hearings on CSpan and was embarrased at the intelligence and preparedness of the senators. Agree with the author that this inaction has cost billions and trillions in losses in the stock market.

Big Three: Too Connected to Fail?

The Big 3 did make the products the public wanted, just not the ones that the Government mandated with CAFE laws. If the US had an energy policy, like the rest of the world, that forced the consumer to chose energy efficient products, like the $4/gal gasoline did, the domestic auto industry would not be in the state it is now. Remember, Toyota and Honda has big trucks and SUVs, not because they are as stupid as the domestics but because the American consumer wanted them, when gasoline was cheap. Joyboy shows ignorance about the industry and knowledge of economics. The big 3 have narrowed the gap and build products of equal or better quality than many asian and european manufacturers and have many products where their fuel economy is is very competitive.
In this environment, the demise of the auto industry will be a disaster, and will push the country into a prolonged "depression".

Nationalizing Detroit? It's a Good Idea

Excellent points about level playing field. You can add two other major reasons for the auto industry problems. CAFE and the lack of an US energy policy. Decades ago, the government created CAFE standards that told the manufacturers what to make, but forgot to mandate the consumer to buy fuel efficient vehicles. That mandate would be in a form of an energy policy that would encourage fuel efficiency and penalize gas guzzlers.
Detroit did build small vehicles, but had no market for them as the consumer would not buy them and demanded larger products. Even the "mighty" Toyota built guzzlers to compete in the US.
Asian quality is being used as an excuse to bash domestic producers, but if you reviewed the current lineup of products from them (minus Chrysler), they are at par with Toyota and Honda and better than many European products.
We absolutely need a domestic auto industry, and cannot afford to send billions and billions of dollars to Japan, Korea and China for our transportation needs. That plus importing $700 billion dollars of oil could amount to 35 to 40 percent of our GNP. How do all the "Let Detroit die" supportes plan to pay for all that. Selling hamburgers to the world does not generate that kind of cash