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Deh-twah is in this pickle for two reasons only:
1) Old auto workers who *just won't die* who are sucking up lots of retirement benefits. Furthermore, the pension funds have heavily invested in the stock market, so the recent crash has led to even more of a money crunch in the pension fund.
THIS IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE UAW.
2) Very few people--I'd venture to say mostly men with self-esteem issues and soccer moms who think carpooling home from practice one day per week justifies a huge vehicle--really want the dreck that Deh-twah has been peddling for years now.
THIS IS THE FAULT OF BAD BUSINESS MODELS, POOR PLANNING, AND TUNNEL VISION.
Solutions?
1) Can't kill off the retired line workers (though I'm sure the Southern Repubs would love to because many of them voted for Obama), but we can learn from this since other pension systems, including social security, are eventually going to be in the same scary financial straits. Some MBA needs to figure out a solution SOON.
2) Create a car like the Honda Accord: I've had (a 2002 used model) one for two years and put 50,000 hard miles on it; it's needed nothing but oil changes and new brake pads (knock on wood). Moreover, it's cute and comfortable.
My former car, (from an American car company) meanwhile, was nothing but a money pit. Ask people who've switched over, and you'll hear many of the same stories. I have a friend whose new Pontiac was painful to drive...because the seat was designed for a 6-foot-something man and not a 5-foot woman. My little rice burner on the other hand? None of the blind spots of my old car.
BTW, The money I once spent on keeping my American car running is now spent on other things--which helps the rest of the economy, though my auto mechanic misses me horribly.
