pedrom

New Cars More Affordable than Ever Before in U.S. History

I submit three other factors for your third paragraph:

Median family income is boosted by more second earners
Worldwide overcapacity of autos has driven down prices
The mix of smaller (and lower priced cars) is increasing

Cash for Clunkers May Cost Up to $45,354 Per Vehicle

I believe he's quoting the cost for "incremental" sales.
Example: person trying to trade in minivan with >100,00 miles that was only worth $1,000 for a new vehicle. It get's his only smoker off the road, he gets into a clean and safe car, a car gets sold so the dealer and car company make money, the factory workers get to build a replacement and all the suppliers get to build all the parts. Also along the way the Gv't charges taxes on the sales, salaries etc... Short term it is an expensive program but at least real taxpayers are getting some benefit that is also good for the economy with some benefits for the ecology.

GM: The Neverending Bailout

Men that don't study history are destined to repeat it. (I'm not sure who first said some version of this.)

Your article is an excellent and timely history lesson.

Let GM Fail

Just like the circle of life; when an animal dies the scavengers consume its carcass and later get eaten themselves by a predator.

GM will be ripped into little pieces and sold off to entrepreneurs who can and will run the smaller business more efficiently. In the next economic boom these businesses will themselves be swallowed up by the larger conglomerates and so on…

Saving the Auto Industry: The Gush-Up Proposal

Genius! - The government would immediately recover at least 50% of their investment through recovery of the recycled material. The rest would come through sales, gas and use taxes. The obvious side benefits are; less gas demand, cleaner air, less medical costs (newer is safer).

Three suggestions:
1. Make this a sliding scale so the heaviest vehicles are bought back at higher rates. Get old gas-guzzling trucks and vans off the roads.
2. Combine this proposal with a credit for purchasing a new hybrid, electric or other alternative vehicle. This would stimulate replacing old gas guzzlers with new technology therefore making the Government's $25 mil in loans to automakers for alternative vehicles that much more viable.
3. Do this for heavy trucks and boats - both industries could also use a lift

Chrysler's Rebadging Plan: Strategic Blunder for Nissan?

Was the typo in the time of (Chrsyler's) Chrysler's name intenional?

Maybe it should be Chrnissanrenault?