Word: detroiters
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...What the CEOs of the Big Three have discovered is a nation suffering Detroit fatigue. Americans may not know squat about collateralized debt obligations, but as a nation we have been defined by car worship. We are angry at our car gods - who for too many years made too many clunkers - because we have owned the Dodge Aries K cars, Mercury Montereys and Chevy Chev-ettes they produced. So the citizens and the pols are irked to have to throw these companies a lifeline, even though they probably should do it for the good of the economy...
...This is the thanks you get for creating the middle class, Henry. In the throes of the biggest auto swoon since 1931, the headmen of Detroit go hat in hand to Washington to try to keep their once mighty industry upright for a couple of months and are treated as if they had invented the four-wheel-drive subprime mortgage. AIG torpedoes the entire economy and gets a $150 billion handout; Citigroup takes risks no sane manufacturing company would even contemplate and is rewarded with a $20 billion federal bailout. And the car guys...
...Detroit Three recently presented detailed restructuring plans to Congress - an application for loans and credit lines to tide them over until the economy rebounds. U.S. auto sales were down more than 30% in October - even Toyota wasn't spared. Detroit wants $34 billion to shelter 3 million jobs and $300 billion worth of business. The first time the companies came calling, on Nov. 19 and 20, Congress blew a radiator. "Even though all Americans want this industry to succeed, I cannot support a plan to spend taxpayer money to bail them out" is the way Spencer Bachus, the ranking Republican...
...selling just 12 million cars and light trucks annually - 4 million fewer than in 2007. The key is a revamped portfolio more heavily weighted to smaller cars and crossovers, as well as to hybrids and electrics that are far more efficient than the current fleet. That's crucial because Detroit currently loses money making cars in North America. You see the problem...
...This time around, all three are making a symbolic gesture by driving hybrid cars from Detroit. Ford and GM have pledged to sell at least some of their jets, and all three CEOs said they would forgo salaries if they got the help they need, though that may not satisfy critics who claim the companies need entirely new management. More significantly, GM has pledged to consolidate its sprawling number of brands (focusing on Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC), cut more than 20% of its remaining jobs, shutter almost a quarter of its factories and try to reduce crippling labor costs...