And Then There Was One

I believe in America, but I am sorry- the auto industry in America is PATHETIC. I will only buy and drive japanese cars- I have owned three hondas and a toyota, and they are the best cars out there. The americans have failed to keep up with consumer demands. They have made very poor business decisions in focusing their time and energy on gas-guzzling cars and SUVs that the Americans were showing clear trends of no longer wanting. Then, without any plan whatsoever and unwillingness to sacrifice even the most blatant extravagances, like private planes, the auto Execs want to come ask for a bailout. Why the failure? Their answer: LACK OF AVAILABLE CREDIT. Are you kidding me???? And with no plan whatsoever, the auto execs feel that if they just could get more money, no more problems. No, I'm sorry- the problem lies with lack of demand for your product- not just because there is no credit!! Build a car that doesn't need a new engine after 60,000 miles, build a truck that gets more than 12 miles per gallon, and then maybe you'll see the consumers coming back! In the real world of business, bad decisions can cost you your company. Bad decisions, execs that are overpaid for underperformance, and a lack of any real plan is what has cost this industry their success. Here is a message to the big three auto execs: Figure it out, work hard to improve, and don't pay yourself any bonuses for years you have underperformed. If you're not willing to do that, then you don't deserve to be in business!

comment: Since the gasoline companies are the ones making the highest profits from the car sales. They should be the first ones to want to save the car manufactures.

We need to put the highest tariffs on japaneese, korean and chineese made imports. Our dollar to the euro takes care of the german imports, but not bringing the chineese currency up and all the anti dumping of car parts and accessories in to our market has even killed the american after market manufactures and that needs to be addressed as well. Cars are made in america but most of the parts are made in china or somewhere else .

Hey NineT930thTA you might be right on the price, but I can assure you that my Nissan Pathfinder and Altima will last me a longer time than your G5 and Explorer. On regards to the gas milage have you personatly done the test because yes those cars claim that but in reallity is not all true. See you just dont drive on the highway all the time you also drive on the city. gas milage gets affected by many other things than just the engine. Anyways. Why are the Big Three going down simple, lets say you make a car like g5 and I make a car like a camry. You spend a lot more to make it because of regulations, and unions, then because I have possision myself as a quality product for the past 20 years I can price my car a little higher than yours, who do you think will stay in business for a longer period of time? Who do you think will be making a profit. American Auto Industry has changed but for a long time they had low quality vehicles, remember Found On Road Dead. Now they have better quality but its to late to fix something that someone else fixed for you. American Auto Industry is trying to catch up with imports the quality might be there but the preseption of the people is not. I had an American vehicle but I just prefer an import and if I need to buy domestic I think 3 times before I do it.

Let the oil companies bail out their auto-making brothers. That's where all our money is at anyway.

"Buy American" is a just marketing slogan. Americans have the freedom to spend our hard earned dollars however we want - not just to help an American company profit, or another American to have a job, health benefits and retirement. Please - no more about my obligation to buy American! I just bought my first American car - 2009 - $39k Ford Flex - plenty of innovations, but not nearly the quality of my 2004 - $39,000 Lexus RX. Focus on sound managment principles and quality yields results.

See the big 3 go away and watch the foreign plants in the US close because they will have no reason to keep building cars in the US when they can be made cheaper in Japan.

Also I forgot this is my last post. Its funny how people complain about the wages of the UAW, but neglect to think if Toyota and Honda uses cheaper labor and charges more for their cars who is it then thats making the money from their sales? Here is a hint its not the workers, and it doesnt stay in the US.

Just for the sake of discussion, why not break GM and Chrysler into 6 or 7 small companies and let them serve niche markets?
Someone might say it is impossible because of economies of scale, but I wonder. GM was importing most smaller vehicles from OEMs overseas anyway. Why not split up the company by chassis and let the strongest survive. Someone will always want to buy a big truck or a SUV, but why guide a huge company to producing those instead of having smaller companies serve growing markets for other vehicles and foreign markets?
Lets face it, Detroit failed because they are coddled, sloppy and lazy. Smaller, leaner, hungry companies might give the US a better product with better competitiveness. And if half of them fail? It will be the obsolete, weaker half with the outdated business model.
Investors can choose better too. Nobody wants to buy the stock of a SUV maker, but a company that is geared only to production of hybrid or energy efficient vehicles will attract investment. So would a company that just produced light trucks or small batches of designer vehicles. Maybe it is time for more interesting designs and ideas in this industry anyway.
Just an opinion. Seems as topical as any of the other comments here.

To all you people that think American cars are more expensive than foreign need to go and shop around. TherealJoe you are an ignorant fool. The Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 cost less than a Corolla and Civic and get better gas mileage. The Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6, and Saturn Aura all cost less than the Accord and Camry and get better gas mileage (the 4 cyclinder Camry is 31 mpg highway the 6 cyclinder Aura, Malibu, and G6 get 33 with 6 speed transmission). The Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra get the best fuel economy in the truck class while costing less than a Tundra. They also tow more and have a higher payload.

WHy not have the gas companies that posted record quarterly profits for several quarters baild out and force the merger of the auto industry in Detriot, and leave teh Tax payers out of the equation, as I remember the quarterly profits of Exon were 5 times tha tamount sought by teh auto makers to bail them out.

I have bought American made cars all my life. I have heard all the arguments concerning quality by the foriegn car enthusiasts. I think the quality of American made cars is comparable, but I'm not a mechanic, I just drive them. I can't believe Americans are willing to let the US car industry die,,,,it was the car industry that won WWII. Sure they profited in the long run, but they made the sacrifice to keep our troops well supplied.
Speaking of sacrifice, we have troops overseas right now sacrificing all to keep our country strong. Say what you will of the politicians and reasons for our involvement -its still our troops making the ultimate sacrifice.
I think its time we, as Americans, start sacrificing a little.....O'bama wants us to come together - what better way to come together than to start rebuilding our auto industry. Sacrifice the "resale value" of the import and keep our auto industry going. Congress can help us by forcing the auto industry to implement warranties similar to those being offered by some of the imports, and by mandating a higher percentage of parts are built here in the U.S. It can be a win win situation if everyone pulls together, sacrifices a bit in the short term, and demands something out of the bail out money given to the automakers.

Comment: America made the most beautiful cars.The cars of the 50's 60's and 70's are to this day still in the hightest of demands. Why not make the cadillac cat eye convertibles, the little red covette's and the thunderbirds. We don't need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to make it with quality. Half gas, half hybrid cars can be made internally to fit our current needs.

America can save it's self , if we all realize we need to stop buying every cheap piece of junk that the greedy advertising manics freed us. In the 30' and 40's it was called propaganda well now we call it advertising . It's the same thing, some fool trying to get you to do what they want you to do. And as cattle being lead to the slaughter house we follow.

And for us soccer mom's who really think we need those big ,ugly , 8 or 12 cylinder only can go 25mp around school and park square trucks we call SUV's. Well let's face it, these dinousars need to be put to rest.

The notion that Im responsible for the collapse of the American auto industry is just absurd. I have never owned and will never own an American vehicle. There is no reason to pay 35 to $45,000.00 for a $15,000.00 vehicle. With this insanity prevailing at the top of its business structure. It is no wonder its failing and failing miserabley. A $10,000.00 vehicle is just that. It doesnt matter what the final cost comes to. And this should have been addressed long before I was old enough to drive. But of course it was not. Until you can address the salaries of CEO's and pensions of the workforce. Dont come to me for another handout! Thank you very much....and good day...

appliguy,
You are not a true American if you buy foreign autos. YOU are THE problem. Check your facts and look and see what car companies have the most recalls each yaer. You'll be surprised.

I used to drive a classic chevy that barely lasted 100,000 miles and I now drive a classic Audi that has over 250,000 miles. Give me the German car any day, everything about it is better. The nostalgic idea to continue to make those old cars is an attitude that has contributed to Detroit's downfall. Another point, NASCAR has contibuted nothing to the US automakers as far as R&D goes, where in the cars that evolved from F-1,

So many corporate jets...so little time!

Why would anyone suggest that the customer is wrong for buying high quality over the crap the Big 3 have been foisting on us for the last 30+ years? Since 1965 the writing has been on the wall that US cars were going down a dead end street. If the Big 3 had gotten their act together back then instead of continuing to build poor quality crap they would not be in this mess. The Japs came over here and copied our system but put in place much more stringent quality controls to make QUALITY cars. The Big 3 refused to build the same even moving much of their production to Mexico & Canada. It's apparent that the Big 3 can build comparable quality, just look at Pick up trucks for an example. Sure Toyota trucks are a little better tha American, but not much. If the Big 3 had tried to build quality many Americans would still be buying their cars. TOO LATE!! They deserve to fail because they failed to change.

So many corporate jets....so little time!

I have been saying this for months now - consolidate the Big 3 into the Big One - and get rid of the unions! Easier said than done but if the union leaders were truly on Detroit's side, they would relinquish their power. It's not only the greed of the auto industry execs that have killed the US auto industry but the greed of the union leaders is also to blame.