The Big 5 to the Big 3, soon to be the Big 2?

So, unless you've been living in a hole, you know at least a few things about today's automotive economy:

1. GM, Chrysler, and Ford are America's Big 3 automotive companies
   
2. Last year, GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy even after taking gov't bailout money
   
3. Ford was the only one of the Big 3 to not take gov't money
   
4. Toyota recently issued a recall on almost 8 million vehicles due to runaway gas pedals
   
5. These still have not fixed the runaway problem, and Toyota's sales have dropped about 25% in the US alone

Originally, we had 5 major companies up until about the late 80s/early 90s. Two of these failed, leaving us with 3. However soon it may be just the Big 2, and those 2 might reverse places. For several years, Chrysler (owned by the Italian carmaker Fiat) has been slowing down and its sales have been dropping. Even has Toyota's sales drop (interestingly so have Honda's) so too have Chrysler's; when business should be looking up, it isn't. So what do you think is the future of Chrysler?

Next, though I'm not one for conspiracies, I think the gov't actually helped orchestrate Toyota's slump in order to bolster the US economy in a time of need. Think about it: It is well-known that the US gov't knew about the sticky accelerators long before the public knew. However, they never told us, they waited until it blew up in Toyota's face. And when you think about it, by doing this, they set the remaining US automakers up for a huge boost when Toyota imploded. Do you think this was done on purpose, and if so, do you think it was warranted?

Next, I personally like what I'm seeing from Ford. First off, their sales have spiked the most (25%) even though they took no gov't bailout money. Next, they are producing stylish and affordable (and very efficient) cars, whcih GM is totally failing at, and Chrysler cannot seem to get right. I mean, look at the new Fiesta:



Ai papi, not a bad looking car! And their interiors are just a nice:



And even more impressive: you know that standard police car? The Ford Crown Victoria? Well, now they have specifically designed a vehicle just for police work, which I personally says something about Ford: they look at all avenues of revenue, but they also listen to what the customer wants.



So all in all, if I were to place any bets or buy any stock in this economy, I'd do it with Ford. Do you agree?

i dunno, i just have to see what dents easily. im more of a hit and run type of person.

Well, lets be honest here. There are no longer any American made car manufacturers. Ford, Chrysler and GM all have plants in other countries. A big Ford plant recently packed up shop from my town and moved to Mexico. Any "American made" car most likely won't help the economy unless it was made there. Toyota, Honda, VW and many others have plants in the US. When Toyota joined in the Nascar circuit, it was the only car actually made in America. The fall of the car giants were their faults and helped with the overstepping power of the unions.

The UAW was started for a reason and helped a lot. But they got too much power and have a heavy hand in the sinking over the Big 3. I am born and raised in the suburbs of the Motor City. I have seen it with my own eyes. The auto industry is in my blood. My deceased father was in the business most of his and most of my life. He helped reform the used car laws of Michigan. Unions have helped kill my state. I am angry about this.

I am more angry at the bail outs. Can anyone tell me one of the contributing factors of the great depression? Well the one of the starters, not the president at the time who extended. Anyone? GM. They over sold car bonds and it helped to crash the economy. A failed market rebuilds itself and the pieces the broke make new companies. It did back then. Many car companies emerged. Innovation was breathed back in. No company is too big to fail. Competition is good for business.

I agree, the unions totally strangled them to death.

And the bailouts should have been more specifically targeted. Ford is almost entirely US-made, and saw the recession coming, made their cuts before, and planned ahead. In a way, the most deserving company of the bailouts didn't even need them. I think GM and Chrysler deserved to fail.