I think congress SHOULD "bail out" these companies, having us the taxpayers foot the bill.

Why? Because it's the fault of the American people for this whole problem. WE are the ones who are obsessed with huge SUVs and muscle cars that guzzle gas. WE are the ones who supported these companies and pushed them for bigger and faster and stronger cars, regardless of their fuel consumption. They'd make a bigger, less efficient truck, and we snap 'em up so fast that Ford & GM said "let's keep making them bigger because people can't get enough of them!"

There is a time and a place for those vehicles, but there is no reason why every soccer mom and scrub need them for regular commuting. That's asinine and we deserve to pay the consequences.

Hey Bruce, how about some facts with that rant?
The second largest auto corporation in that "closed" country of Korea is owned by General Motors. GM is now using that base to flood the world with "Chevrolets (Daewoos)."
The "closed" Japanese market features such companies as Isuzu (GM owned), Mazda (Ford owned), Suzuki (partial GM ownership), Subaru (previous GM stake), Mitsubishi (previous partial ownership by Chrysler and Daimler), and Nissan (Renault owned). the only tow car companies without outside ownership are Honda and Toyota.
And of course you seem to have forgotten China? Why is that?
So much for your closed markets.

I have a 2006 Cadillac DTS with only 20,000 miles and still under warranty. The windshield distorts what you see croos-cockpit and has been replaced twice-but they cannot get it right. The cruise control allows the car to gain 8-10 MPH on a 150 foot hill, yet they say that is within limits. I have loyally bought American made cars for years and this is the crap they hand out, "fix our defective products yourself", they say. Let they go bankrupt, hell lend me $50 Billion and I will start a car company that will put them all under.

What's driving the American manufacturers down versus the Japanese has nothing to do with quality. For over a dozen years, Japan has operated with a prime rate at or below a half percent while ours has only recently dropped to a low of two percent. Their industry finances everything for virtually nothing while our are paying up to 13%. It's killing all American corporations. How do they pay for it? Simple, our idiots in Washington are borrowing money from them. And they have a massive trade surplus. They collect the interest at our rate, then loan it to themselves. Why do they do it? Who in the right mind would pay BMW prices for a Camry or Corolla? That's how much the prices would rise. There's nothing illegal about any of this, but you have to wonder why Congress puts up with it.

What congress is "doing" isn't a bailout, it is a halfazzed attempt to level a playing field that they should have never allowed to get so skewed.

You want a global economy? Since there is no global currency (almost was with the dollar until the Japanese screwed it up) and a global prime rate, it cannot exist. It is a fraud.

Look at the figures people, none of this is fabrication, we are consumer reporting ourselves into a third world nation. You traitors in Toyota heaven are killing the middle class and in the end yourself. You are simply too ignorant and arrogant to admit it. You deserve all the guilt you have so far tried to avoid. Until Japan stops leeching off the USA, they do not deserve any respect.

BTW, GM has sold the majority of it's investment in Isuzu, to Toyota, same for Suzuki.

Kia and Hyundai are co-owned by the same conglomerate and that CEO may soon be running it from a jail cell.

You really want to see what is so screwed up, go run some charts on XE currency conversions. If you follow the trends and overlay prime rates versus prime rates, you will be disgusted with what Japan has done to us.

Just look at what happened in 1995 on this chart vs our prime and then follow it out:

http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/data.exe/bjap/ehdis01

This is insane that there has been absolutely no effort in congress to balance trade. And then realize that we have not had this problem with any other major trading "partner." And then understand why Japanese products are held in such low regard elsewhere around the world.

Joe, your little list of carefully selected questions is a scam. Just a quick scan of it will uncover errors if not lies.
Go to your own link and read the answer to #2. Your article clearly states that Ford recalled several times as many cars as VW, but you list VW as the most recalled!
Sorry, but the facts hurt, even when you try to stack the deck.

AD: you're a very smart person, how do you expect normal everyday joes to ever contemplate the predicument were in? I hate to say this but every year we continue to get worse and worse. There's so many things wrong with this country, it's a miracle every year these car companies are still in business! I contribute it to the fact that Ford was the first in so many things that they remain in business. From our governments inability of not understanding other governments taking advantage of our inability to play unfair, to our unions out for just themselves, its a wonder our car companies have lasted this long!

For all you people out there that think our car manufacturing jobs should just disappear, yet think that the Republicans and their "homeland security/war on terrorism, is a good thing, should always remember....the only thing that'll keep our true enemies away from our shores is our manufacturing capabilities. During WWII our car companies built all our tanks and airplanes! Just think if our car companies are sold or go out of business...who'll be able to defend our country? Just think our airplane retanker/refueler planes were just bid to an outside country to supply our military with these planes! One by one this country is losing it's ablity to defend itself! Just think about it.

Hey Jet,
I've never purchased an SUV, I drive a mid-sized GM car (made in Mexico, by the way) - how do I deserve it?

Anyways, GM, Ford and Chrysler were getting a nice profit margin off of SUVs and luxury cars ever since OJ took off in his "White Bronco" and America got SUV fever. But as far as US national interest goes, answer me this: When has the big 3 voluntarily made a decision that would benefit our country? Did they agree to higher mileage standards when faced with environmental problems like climate change and air pollution, and then higher gas prices? No. Instead, they spent millions on lobbyists to strong arm the EPA into not setting high standards. They had to be forced by government to make cars safer in the late 70's/early 80's (unsafe at any speed). Business has to be FORCED by government to do anything other than try to make a profit.

The biggest problem is that the Big 3 haven't made quality SMALL CARS until maybe a couple of years ago (with the exception of the focus) because they have been busy trying to offset legacy costs (caused by the UAW) with profits from SUVs. Well, all can say is if there is a low-interest loan (that probably won't be paid back), the US gov't may as well tack on a few conditions, like reasonably priced 60+ mpg cars and so forth, as a previous commenter suggested.

how can someone say we have allowed this. i never have nor will i allow myself to be taken in by the gluttony of big business. no one has every bailed my ass out for making stupid decisions and i pray to god they wont. but on the same hand i dont want to have to pay for someone elses mistakes either. and all u ford lovers out there, every ford i have every owned has been a piece of shit . never again will i take a chance on ford never never never.

America Wastes over 70% of the Energy it Consumes !
The Energy Waste is Everywhere !
(1) We consistently over heat and over cool our homes, businesses,
offices, schools, churches, etc...
(2) 100's of millions of lights are on unnecessary every day and every night.
(3) Landfills are busier than ever. Over packaging with plastics is
the norm. Recycling is optional and thereby inadequate.
(4) Most Americans do not minimize their driving. Therefore,
congestion on roads is horrendous.
(5) Road construction is the ultimate contradiction!

Until the price of gas is $7 to $8 per gallon, Americans will not
significantly reduce their waste and over demand for energy.
The economic impact of taxing energy is the way to eliminate energy
waste and over demand. Only with a tangible dollar reward /
consequence will America care and act to conserve. Crude oil must be
taxed at $200 per barrel (55 gal) and 'offset' by making Federal
Income Tax begin at $70k. High energy costs are also the incentive by
which sustainable energy supplies will be developed. In the mean time,
the USA continues its incredible energy waste and gives away its
economic and political wealth to the Islamic Middle East via OPEC.
Know that the Islamic dominated OPEC cartel is glad to allow supply
and demand market forces to drive energy prices to $8/gallon. Our
hedonist energy waste empowers the Islamics who desires our demise.

China, India, and other 'developing countries' have only begun to
compete for the world's remaining fossil fuels. Unless global demand
for fossil energy is dramatically reduced, world war is inevitable
(future geopolitical unrest will be directly related to global
competition for energy and natural resources).
Ford and General Motors are headed for bankruptcy, which will leave
100,000,000 Americans unemployed, ruin our economy, and lead to
anarchy. America can no longer continue to 'do business as usual'.
Ford and GM must quickly transition to the lucrative business of
building solar and wind 'energy producers' for the world's 6.7 BILLION
people reason$. The world cannot continue to support all the
automakers. We are running out of petroleum !
Mass transit must reward those who reduce their driving and thereby
become FREE, SAFE, CLEAN, and CONVENIENT.
The incentive necessary to create renewable and sustainable energy
supply can ONLY occur when we implement the economics of TAXING ENERGY
in lieu of income taxes.