Should the government bail-out include domestic automakers?

[Lenny]

Mine turned six in August. And he`s my best buddy. So much so that my wife gets kinda jealous sometimes. (I`m a first time dog owner with him too, never had pets growing up.)

LOL! Same here on both counts - dog was wife`s idea, I was luke warm on it, he bonded with me, she`s jealous and I am also a first time dog owner. Although I think they own us, not the other way around!!

[Inzane]

LOL! Same here on both counts - dog was wife`s idea, I was luke warm on it, he bonded with me, she`s jealous and I am also a first time dog owner. Although I think they own us, not the other way around!!

Yep, on all counts. :lol

[Mr. Clean]

Good questions all around. All three Detroit automakers have had well publicized turnaround plans for a while now, so I wonder how much of this is political blustering and how much is real.



I`ll go back to what I said before - this is enough to punt this to the next Congress and the Obama administration. I agree with you - they need to be on a short leash until they prove themselves.I have no argument on that.



Good point on car sales - that`s a main issue, because better sales obviously mean better cash flow. Things are so bad, I don`t know if you heard, but Reuters reported that Toyota is expected to post their first ever world wide loss for a fiscal year. That`s how bad sales are.

I don`t know what more the next Congress or the Obama administration can be asked to do.



Yup, without new vehicle sales, there will be no need to reopen any plants after their scheduled shut down periods. Edmunds is predicting an increase in sales for December as compared to November, but that would still put sales down compared to last year. Don`t know if that will be enough.

[Lenny]

I don`t know what more the next Congress or the Obama administration can be asked to do.



Yup, without new vehicle sales, there will be no need to reopen any plants after their scheduled shut down periods. Edmunds is predicting an increase in sales for December as compared to November, but that would still put sales down compared to last year. Don`t know if that will be enough.

I really don`t think it will be enough. I still think we`re still looking at a 10 to 11 million unit sales year, and I think everyone, Detroit and transplants alike, will be hard pressed to make any money at that level of sales. This recession is ridiculous. I`m pessimistic that we will see any kind of recovery and that does not bode well for any manufacturing.

[Mr. Clean]

Basing my opinion on some of the economic prognosticators (I mean economists), I don`t think that you are being pessimistic, more like realistic. Some say indicators point to a possible recovery in the last part of `09.



One problem is that if the American people hear bad economic news often enough and from many different sources, the whole thing can become a self fulfilling prophecy. I guess we can all be optimistic and hope for a quicker turnaround.

[Lenny]

Basing my opinion on some of the economic prognosticators (I mean economists), I don`t think that you are being pessimistic, more like realistic. Some say indicators point to a possible recovery in the last part of `09.



One problem is that if the American people hear bad economic news often enough and from many different sources, the whole thing can become a self fulfilling prophecy. I guess we can all be optimistic and hope for a quicker turnaround.

I think you hit the nail on the head. That`s a problem with too much news hitting the public, especial a public that likes it`s news in small bites, without a lot of deep thinking. It does become a self fulfilling prophecy, especially with the sale of big ticket items. Now we have the complications of globalization. This downturn is now hitting all over the world, so now we can`t even hope for exports leading us of this recession, and that`s not encouraging much optimism.

[salty]

Glad to hear that they get some help.

[Todd@RUPES]

if people were smart enough to buy what they could afford vs what a lender would approve all of this would have been avoided in the first place

[jfelbab]

Very interesting video showing Ford`s most advanced auto manufacturing plant.



detnews.com | Webvideo | Ford`s most advanced assembly plant operates in rural Brazil

[Lenny]

Very interesting video showing Ford`s most advanced auto manufacturing plant.



detnews.com | Webvideo | Ford`s most advanced assembly plant operates in rural Brazil

Most advanced because it`s the newest. Second newest, and second most advanced plant Ford has, is Dearborn Truck Plant:



Dearborn Truck Plant is a Model of Flexible and Sustainable Manufacturing - Ford

[Lenny]

I found this link else where, and thought you guys would find this interesting:



Vrrrooom! What does it take to build a car? | csmonitor.com



slide show, with audio:

How a car is made

[Lenny]

Toyota Expects To See Red In New Year