Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - (Page 14) 14 • NOVEMBER 24, 2008 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EDITORIAL STAFF 313-446-0361 E-mail autonews@crain.com Web site www.autonews.com Keith E. Crain Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Peter Brown Associate Publisher and Editorial Director DETROIT 313-446-0361 Fax: 313-446-0383 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 David Sedgwick Editor dsedgwick@crain.com Edward Lapham Executive Editor elapham@crain.com Richard Johnson Managing Editor rjohnson@crain.com John K. Teahen Jr. Senior Editor Mary Beth Vander Schaaf Deputy Managing Editor Charles Child International Editor David Kushma Retail Editor Dave Guilford News Editor James B. Treece Industry Editor Jesse Snyder Senior Writer Karen Faust O’Rourke Insight Editor COPY EDITORS: Bob Allen, Tom Fetters, Patricia C. Foley, Kenn Jones, Gregory Skwira Susan Zavela Bamford/Graphics Editor Rick Kranz/Product Editor REPORTERS: Leslie J. Allen, David Barkholz, Mary Connelly, Ralph Kisiel, Jamie LaReau, Arlena Sawyers, Robert Sherefkin, Richard Truett, Bradford Wernle, Amy Wilson Mary Raetz Director, Automotive News Data Center Debi Domby, Camille Pippen Research Assistants Dan Jones Office Manager Robertta Reiff Editorial Assistant Corinne M. Price, Michael Garrison Information Center LOS ANGELES Mark Rechtin/Bureau Chief 310-739-8009 Fax: 310-832-6362 Kathy Jackson/Reporter 323-370-2481 Fax: 323-655-8157 Alysha Webb/Reporter awebb@crain.com 6500 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048-4947 NEW YORK Diana T. Kurylko/Reporter Phone/fax: 908-273-6059, dkurylko@crain.com WASHINGTON Donna Harris/Reporter 540-668-7295 Fax: 540-668-7296 Harry Stoffer/Reporter 202-662-7212 Fax: 202-638-3155 814 National Press Building Washington, DC 20045-1801 MID-SOUTH Lindsay Chappell/Bureau Chief 615-371-6654 Fax: 615-371-6655 April Wortham/Reporter/615-371-6617 104 East Park Drive, Suite 315, Brentwood, TN 37027 SHANGHAI Steven Ribet/Staff Reporter (86) 21 6431 1227 sribet@crain.com TOKYO Hans Greimel/Asia Editor +81-3-3828-9060 Fax: +81-3-3828-9061 hgreimel@crain.com Yurakucho Denki Bldg., 20th Floor 1-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan TURIN Luca Ciferri/Reporter/lciferri@craincom.de +39-011 961 0194 Fax: +39-011 961 0113 Viale Cavaglia, 8 10029 Villastellone (TO) Italy STAFF CORRESPONDENT: Eric Freedman/Legal file, 517-337-0269 www.autonews.com DETROIT Dave Versical/Editor Automotive News Online dversical@crain.com 313-446-6789 Philip Nussel Managing Editor, Automotive News Online Victor Galvan/Web Editor vgalvan@crain.com 313-446-0345 Scott Kennedy/Multimedia Editor Readers weigh in on auto industy woes The Detroit 3’s quest to secure emergency federal aid last week inspired a rush of letters from our readers. Here’s a sampling of what they were saying. You’ll find longer versions of these letters and more reader comments on our Web site, www.autonews.com. We still need manufacturing To the Editor: We are the only large industrialized country that doesn’t in some way subsidize the manufacturing base, including automotive. We are one of the few that don’t offer a form of nationalized health care and a pension plan for citizens. We are one of the only ones that give incentives (such as tax breaks) to foreign companies that want to build in our country. Yet when the domestic automakers reach out for help, they are slapped and told to go away. The United States must stop bending over backward for foreign companies and must foster a system that encourages people to source U.S.-made parts and tools. We must encourage people to buy things that are “Made in the U.S.A.” Most important, we must stop listening to bankers who since 1995 have convinced the majority of us that we don’t need manufacturing to make money and be wealthy. JUSTIN WOJAS Systems Integration Engineer Marquardt Switches Rochester Hills, Mich. The company is a supplier to Chrysler LLC. Detroit 3 CEOs must offer to quit To the Editor: The blame game is getting us nowhere and just delaying the inevitable. Congress needs to act to save the auto industry before we all begin to freeze in the dark. The CEOs of the Detroit 3 need to take responsibility for the current situation, offer to resign and thereby take the blame game off the table. Then, maybe, we can get to work rebuilding this country. Three careers are not too much to sacrifice for the future of this country. MIKE POLLER Co-owner Poller & Jordan Advertising Agency Miami The last Oldsmobile, a 2004 Alero, rolls off the line in April of that year. At the time, the letter writer says, there was no talk of a bailout to save the brand or its dealers and suppliers. “Life went on,” he says. No one bailed out Oldsmobile To the Editor: I am a former Oldsmobile dealer and have seen firsthand what happens when a car company, or part of one, goes out of business. There was no discussion of any bailout to save Oldsmobile or its dealers and suppliers. Life went on. No crisis was imminent. I read Keith Crain’s Nov. 10 column (“They are too big to fail”). He thinks a bailout of one or more of the Detroit 3 is critical to our society. I am curious why he thinks that. If a failing company receives capital, exactly how is that going to change anything other than its immediate cash position? If a company has not been smart enough to build the right products, price them correctly and lend money to consumers intelligently, it deserves to fail. Those strong enough to survive will be better off for it. HOWARD SCHNITZ General Manager Ridenour Auto Group (FordChrysler-Dodge-Jeep) New Lexington, Ohio What about dealerships? To the Editor: Injecting funds to recapitalize U.S. automakers should include a tax credit of 20 percent to purchase a new vehicle by the end of 2009. That would stimulate needed sales in dealerships across America and keep them open. It also would give a reason for people to spend money on a new car. ROB GEHRING President Fixed Performance Inc. Huron, Ohio The writer provides training and consulting for dealerships. followed. At the time, the Detroit 3 offered unheard-of 0 percent deals to boost the economy and sales and put this country back on track. The Detroit 3 were there for the American economy in the past. It is time we say “thank you” and help them out in their hour of need. PHILIP BROOKER General Sales Manager Fremont Motors Riverton (FordLincoln-Mercury) Riverton, Wyo. Ford and Chrysler negotiated contracts with the UAW and simply rolled over and played dead to avoid strikes but continued their greed for sales. No bailout should happen unless the out-of-control wage structure created by the Detroit 3 and the UAW is addressed by the government. TERRY McINERNEY Columbus, Ind. The writer works for a supplier to the domestic automotive market. Bankruptcy is a better idea To the Editor: Keith Crain’s liberal comments don’t surprise me, but I really am tired of his blame Bush rhetoric (“They are too big to fail,” Nov. 10). Maybe Bush is slapping the nation’s No. 1 industry in the face. The Detroit 3 should have been slapped many times in the past for the incompetent management decisions that got them to this point. Also, Congress should be slapped for the restrictions that were forced on the Detroit 3 that make it difficult to produce salable cars. Ultimately, the solution is for the automobile companies to seek the protection of bankruptcy so that they may reorganize and rebuild better companies, absent the baggage of past failed decisions. It is the American way. DAN WORK Germantown, Tenn. The writer is a certified public accountant who works exclusively with automobile dealerships. The answer is simple: Leasing To the Editor: If GM is to survive, we have to get cars on the road. In a tough economy, people want low payments with little or no money down. Leasing is the only way to do that. GM must get back into that part of the business, or we all will fail. THOMAS WAURISHUK General Manager Saturn of White Plains White Plains, N.Y. First step: Bring the jobs home To the Editor: For several years, the automakers and Tier 1 suppliers have been telling their supply base that we have to go overseas or to Mexico because it is such a cost savings. Those companies are taking jobs away from American and Canadian workers. If people are not working, they are not going to buy new vehicles. If the government really wants to develop a stimulus package, it should make it attractive for those companies to bring those jobs back to the United States and Canada. SKIP HINES Accounts Manager Wright Plastic Products St. Clair, Mich. Will America be better off? To the Editor: Let’s say GM files for protection. What happens? It spins off a few brands; millions of jobs are lost; hundreds of thousands of companies, including media outlets, suppliers, NASCAR and restaurants, also will file for protection or simply go out of business. Yes, GM will be free from those nasty UAW contracts and the burden of the past 100 years, but will America really be better off? Who saved America during World War II with an infrastructure to manufacture the machines to win the war? Who drove wages and job opportunity for America after the war? GM, Ford and Chrysler. Who will be there for America the next time: Kia? Toyota? Tata? BRAD SOWERS Jim Butler Chevrolet Fenton, Mo. America owes it to GM to help To the Editor: The last time this great country had a severe economic downturn was after the most horrific attack on American soil. If you do not remember who turned the economy around, think of “Keep America Rolling.” That was General Motors, and Ford Motor Co. autonews.com You can write a letter to the editor on our Web site. Here’s how. Go to www.autonews.com. At the top of our home page, put your cursor on the “Opinion & Feedback” tab. Click on the section below that says “Send us a Letter.” That will bring up a letter form. Follow the directions. Let’s get wages under control To the Editor: Let’s not forget how we got into this mess. For years, General Motors, http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - November 24, 2008 Iacocca tip: 'Equality of sacrifice' Ch. 11 would hit dealers hard â fast Detroit 3: Bankruptcy = doom Down the road and a continent away Used-vehicle demand shrivels O'Neill will lead Power GM tweaks production plan Mitsubishi: No to Detroit Ford will cut more output Nardelli: Chrysler is running on fumes GMAC on brink of bankruptcy, S&P warns Off with their heads! (But whose?) In defense (kind of) of Detroit Bailout Motors? Britain went down that road CEOs could have pre-empted the grilling Ford: We still want Mazda expertise Imports clog ports as sales plunge Volvo's N.A. boss will resume leases to boost volume Nissan expects Chrysler pickup deal will survive Toyota: Venza is a trendsetter, not a crossover It's time to put partisanship aside; Detroit needs help What GM needs is GMAC.2 'Buy American' talk won't help industry Readers weigh in on auto industy woes No one bailed out Oldsmobile It's time to move to mass transport We still need manufacturing Bankruptcy is a bet Let's get wages under control Will America be better off? First step: Bring the jobs home America owes it to GM to help The answer is simple: Leasing What about dealerships? Detroit 3 CEOs must offer to quit Oct. truck sales fall 17.4% Honda plant adds parts center They're sold on Camaro Drawn to Ferrari Japan poised to control key batteries Europe's worst month hits all automakers Dealers BMW: Diesel 7 series could come to U.S. Honda's FC Sport mixes green and go Infiniti G37's hard top retracts in 30 seconds Redesign of Lexus RX series hard to see Mini electric: Jolt comes from sticker Ford hybrid sedans aim at Camry After only 3 years, Ford revamps Fusion Hyundai plans new crossover, turbo engine Restyled Mustang: More refinement, horsepower Honda: Don't count on CR-Z gasoline variant '09 Nissan Z delivers more of what fans like Mazda3 gets new look, powertrains Nissan Cube joins the box brigade Infiniti upgrades powertrains Lincoln MKZ gets a makeover Porsche won't stall Panamera 2010 GLK priced below rival Bentley's Azure T gets 500 hp Detroit 3 squeezed by credit, cash â politics Waxman could mean trouble for Detroit GM formulates a 'Plan B' if it doesn't get federal loan Infiniti replaces Igo Sharks vs. Jets, D.C.-style What's good for â uh, how'd that go again? Mazda deal imperils Ford training ground More like Toyota, Honda? Careful what you wish for Maybe he's Buck-a-year Bob now Romney: Bankruptcy, not bailout Automotive News - November 24, 2008 Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - (Page Intro) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Detroit 3: Bankruptcy = doom (Page 1) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Detroit 3: Bankruptcy = doom (Page 2) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Ford will cut more output (Page 3) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Off with their heads! (But whose?) (Page 4) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Off with their heads! (But whose?) (Page 5) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - CEOs could have pre-empted the grilling (Page 6) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - CEOs could have pre-empted the grilling (Page 7) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Volvo's N.A. boss will resume leases to boost volume (Page 8) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Volvo's N.A. boss will resume leases to boost volume (Page 9) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Toyota: Venza is a trendsetter, not a crossover (Page 10) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Toyota: Venza is a trendsetter, not a crossover (Page 11) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - 'Buy American' talk won't help industry (Page 12) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - 'Buy American' talk won't help industry (Page 13) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Detroit 3 CEOs must offer to quit (Page 14) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Drawn to Ferrari (Page 15) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Japan poised to control key batteries (Page 16) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 17) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 18) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 19) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 20) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 21) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Dealers (Page 22) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Mini electric: Jolt comes from sticker (Page 23) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Restyled Mustang: More refinement, horsepower (Page 24) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Bentley's Azure T gets 500 hp (Page 25) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Bentley's Azure T gets 500 hp (Page 26) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - GM formulates a 'Plan B' if it doesn't get federal loan (Page 27) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Infiniti replaces Igo (Page 28) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Infiniti replaces Igo (Page 29) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Romney: Bankruptcy, not bailout (Page 30) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Romney: Bankruptcy, not bailout (Page 31) Automotive News - November 24, 2008 - Romney: Bankruptcy, not bailout (Page 32)
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