Word: carlies
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...particularly ironic about the Big Three's situation is that the companies are now as near to their long-sought goal of parity with the Japanese firms Honda and Toyota as they are to collapse. In the past couple of years, Detroit has closed the quality gap. Its cars are competitive on engines and drivetrains and fits and finishes. Some top-class products score well with car rater J.D. Power, such as the Cadillac CTS and Ford's new F-150. "What exposes us to failure now is not our product lineup or business plan or our long-term strategy...
...vehicle sales hit 16 million, but about 2 million of those were driven by the combination of easy credit and discount pricing. In a normal economy, the true size of the business may be closer to 15 million units. The Detroit Three simply have to generate more revenue per car and, not incidentally, a profit. Right now, the revenue gap per car is $4,000 vs. Toyota...
...Bush Administration, leery of adding yet another taxpayer bailout to its already shaky legacy, has been unwilling to step in, appoint a car czar and negotiate a solution to the problem. The incoming Obama Administration is expecting such talks to fall to it, but the automakers, especially GM, have warned they cannot wait. "I believe that we could lose General Motors by the end of this month," said Ron Gettelfinger, head of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which announced Wednesday that it would be willing to sacrifice job-security provisions and financing for retiree health care to save...
...have to come back for more money soon was met with great skepticism from both the lawmakers and an economist testifying side by side with the CEOs, Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com. Given declining vehicle sales and market share and the amount of profit they make per car - about $4,000 less than Toyota, for example - Zandi said he expects the Big Three would survive only until fall 2009 before they would be forced to return to Washington to beg for more money. "I'm skeptical, doubtful that it's going to end in $34 billion," he said...
...Carmakers' Woes The U.S. government is considering a multibillion-dollar bailout for the Big Three auto companies [Nov. 24]. Why not help consumers at the same time? For three months, every time a new car is sold, the government should absorb half the list price, paying that sum directly to the car dealer. This discount available to the buyer could be reduced in stages during the rest of 2009. In return for this boost, the Big Three must agree to increase gas mileage and reduce car sizes. This scheme would keep most Detroit workers employed while avoiding the indiscriminate award...