China Autobusiness

The American auto industry is well worth saving, f...

2008-11-21T09:16:00.000+08:00

The American auto industry is well worth saving, for many reasons. One reason is that for the past decade Detroit has made heavy investment and steady progress in improving its competitiveness, what it calls “altering the DNA” of American cars. US automakers spend $22 billion annually on plants, equipment, research and development. Breakthroughs are at hand in developing alternative fuel propulsion systems, and our national well-being and security depend upon seeing them through to completion.

If we allow U.S. automakers to go under out of anger, resignation, or ideology, it will only mean all the work and investment of the last decade will be ceded to our foreign competitors instead of being plowed back into the U.S. economy.

Another reason is the industry’s importance to the job market and the wider economy. Automobile manufacturing directly employs a quarter of a million workers and indirectly about one in ten U.S. jobs are related to some degree to the automotive sector, according to GM estimates. So the effects of a collapsed U.S. auto sector would not be limited to Detroit – they would be magnified as the ripples spread to related industries.

If we allow U.S. automakers to fail, millions of retirees depending on auto company pensions will be at risk and auto manufacturing jobs will disappear. The ripple effect won’t end there; millions of jobs in related sectors, such as U.S. manufacturers of steel, aluminum, iron, copper, plastics, rubber, electronics, and computer chips, will also feel the pain.

Worse yet, the promise of a meaningful future for American manufacturing would fade. As that promise dims, the role played by manufacturing jobs as a passport to the middle class would likewise disappear. Alexander Shlepakov

I know, I know .....Or maybe they should have call...

2008-11-06T23:38:00.000+08:00

I know, I know .....

Or maybe they should have called Carl Hahn, you know, the gentleman who brought the Santana to Shanghai. He was CEO of Continental before .....

Well, maybe:20.1 % is owned by the State of Lower ...

2008-11-06T23:35:00.000+08:00

Well, maybe:

20.1 % is owned by the State of Lower Saxony, and they said, hell no, we won't let it go.

Leaves 79.9%

Porsche wants a majority of 75% so that tey can enter the below-mentioned "controlling agreement."

If they get that, there are only 4.9% left. Which for sure would elminate VW from the DAX, because the free float would be tiny. At that rate, maybe they won't care about being in the DAX.

'Did Porsche want just a small chunk of VW? Or a b...

2008-11-06T13:35:00.000+08:00

'Did Porsche want just a small chunk of VW? Or a blocking minority of 25 percent? Or, gasp, would they go for 51 percent?'
--The latest news told us their aim is 76%.

Hey,B, You must know that Schaeffler got financing...

2008-11-06T13:30:00.000+08:00

Hey,B, You must know that Schaeffler got financing troubles in Continental takeover lately. Maybe the old Schaeffler lady need help from Porsche...

Jennifer, dui bu qi, I was so busy writing for htt...

2008-11-01T17:07:00.000+08:00

Jennifer, dui bu qi, I was so busy writing for http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com - neglected my own blog! I'll try to make up for it!

Dear B, you are not update your blog these two day...

2008-10-31T16:55:00.000+08:00

Dear B, you are not update your blog these two days!?

... not "always."

2008-10-25T18:26:00.000+08:00

... not "always."

Hi, Jennifer. Welcome to China Autobusiness.I gues...

2008-10-25T18:23:00.000+08:00

Hi, Jennifer. Welcome to China Autobusiness.

I guess until there is a big consoldidation, we'll never know. And as long as three-wheelers are bunched in with "motor vehicles except motorbikes," a.k.a. "cars," the number of Chinese "car" manufacturers actually might be in the thousands, simply because there supposedly are thousands of trike makers.

I trust there are about 40 passenger car makers in...

2008-10-24T17:19:00.000+08:00

I trust there are about 40 passenger car makers in China.

“milk mothers” or “Nai Ma” are always those people...

2008-10-24T16:45:00.000+08:00

“milk mothers” or “Nai Ma” are always those people who are not well off. They need to spend money on baby formula for their own children but not cars.