Reuters files this story from Lincoln, Alabama: “There are eight major assembly plants operated by foreign-owned auto companies in six southern states, and while U.S. auto companies cut back in Detroit, companies from abroad are expanding in the U.S. South. Volkswagen started construction of a plant in Tennessee last month and Kia Motors Corp is building a plant in Georgia. Toyota’s nearly completed plant in Mississippi has been halted for economic reasons. Domestic manufacturers operate 11 southern plants and although five have been closed this decade and two more are slated to shut their doors, the closure rate is lower than elsewhere in North America, said Mike Randle of Southern Business and Development magazine. (read the entire report below)
16 thoughts on “While Detroit collapses, the South surges”
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detroit: bad business decisions coupled with union greed = billions in taxpayer bailout money down the drain.
(think there’ll be an investigation into where that money went??? don’t hold your breath)
foreign investors in the american south = good business decision making coupled with forward thinking and……surprise surprise……no unions.
even a caveman can figure that out.
Finebammer, you’re 100% correct. The Unions brought down Detroit, and the Democrats in Congress and the White House are their enablers. Shameful.
Chrysler and GM are done. With the US gov. runing the show now, they dont stand a chance. I think it wouldve been better to let them die with some dignity. Anyone have a trumpet and know how to play Taps ?
If I cant buy a full size Chevy pickup, what the heck am I going to drive ?
Its all part of Obamas regulation on full size vehicles. He will see to it they ar phased out soon. This “green” crap is all about Gov. control. But the sheep are just to stupid to see it.
I think Im gonna buy a 1 ton Suburban diesel 4 by 4 and put a 10 inch lift on it, drive to Washington D.C. with the A.C on max and give some of these politicians a tune up.
Anybody want to come along ?
The UAW didn’t bring down Detroit. It was the greedy CEO’s and exec’s that had SHITTY ideas for their company who FAIL to hold responsibility for the DISMAL FAILURE in their ability to market something worth a damn.
NOBODY WANTS to pay $4/gal. of gasoline to run a gas sucking full size suburban anymore. The early 70’s/late 60’s are gone.
But it all goes back to the Arab-Israeli war that jacked up relations/gas prices that no one wants to talk about.
R.I.P. GM — you had a great run.
isn’t it ironic.
unions use thuggish, bullying tactics
(threats of work stoppages, strikes, threats of violence at picket lines and the ultimate violence itself)
to gain control of a workplace then when their greed
(multi-million dollar uaw golf resorts, 95% retirements at 48, 49 , 50 yrs. of age….and there’s MANY more examples)
drags the business into the ground as they ultimately ALWAYS do
(unless the business drags up and moves to mexico or china before the union can bankrupt it)
then steps back and proclaims ‘it’s not our fault’, it’s “bad business decisions”.
yeah. the bad business decision was using union labor to build your product to begin with.
the last few times i’ve been in mercedes i’ve noticed a few idiots with uaw stickers on their bump caps.
i thought to myself i’ve just witnessed the genesis of the process that will drive diamler out of alabama.
(and don’t think for two seconds the germans won’t do it)
(and the koreans)
(and the japanese)
unions are leeches. and we all know what leeches do.
and leave israel out of it. israel wants nothing more than to live in peace.
it’s idiot neighbors want nothing more than to destroy them.
(as syrians have repeatedly stated, as ahmadinejad has repeatedly stated, as hamas has repeatedly stated)
we all now know, thanks to that idiot carter, israel has long been nuclear capable.
ask yourself this question:
with all the rockets, all the bombing, all the terrorism carried out on their soil,
why haven’t they used them??? or even threatened to use them???
answer: they’re civilized people who realize the implications of nuclear war, unlike most of their idiot neighbors.
Hmm…. a rational person would think that all of the recent arrogance from the northerners on this blog might be……shall we say…..unjustified?
It would appear they might need to deal with the garbage and problems in thier own yard before they feel free to throw trash in someone else’s, (But then again) I should note that it would be hard to expect someone from Michigan to go against thier time honored tradition of being America’s “know-it-all” state.
C.B. Its obvious your a yellow dog Democrat……I want to drive a gas sucking Suburban, along with millions of other Americans. Hell, I should be able to do what the heck I want to do. I dont need Daddy Barrack telling me how to live. And while you are partly correct about the gready CEOs, your only seeing part of the picture. Compare the Japanese and Korean auto plants labor wages and benefits to the U.S. based labor sector. They are right there. the Honda plant in Lincoln has not laid off a single worker……..Hmmmmmm. Whats the major difference ? The UNION……… They stump broke Ford, Chryler, and G.M. Hancuffed and hogtied em. I saw a study where $6 grand of every new car sold , went to pay retirees pensions. .It was just a matter of time………
Your boy Barrack is gonnna screw this economy up so bad, MY kids will be suffering for it.
And dont misunderstand , Im ticked at the Rep. congress , Senate, and Bush for sitting back and watching this crap happen.
I wish Bill Clinton were the democratic president. 🙂
I agree with Ballplay that US auto companies were broke by giving in to the unions. Don’t get me wrong. I think Unions served a good purpose in the 19th and early 20th Century, but weren’t very useful once safety regulations and other labor safeguards were turned into law.
Another thing that broke Detroit—taxes. But that is a topic for another day. 😉
What blows me away is the way Barrack is spending money like it grows on trees. America in its finest econmoic period (IMO Reagans latter years, low taxes anyone?) couldnt afford this percentage of spending. He reminds me of L. Langford. I mean , who needs to look at the bottom line when you can make more money ? THE FREEEKIN CHINKS JUST BOUGHT HUMMER !!!!!!!! What in the heck is going on man ?
ballplay, it’s all part of their plan.
bankrupt the system just like they did the housing market.
just look at the control of the marketplace the government now has due to the “housing bubble burst”.
our government now owns banks. they tell you they don’t want to own banks but banks that passed their “stress tests” want to pay the tarp money back and rid themselves of the government leech.
geithner won’t take the money back.
our government now owns the worlds largest insurance company.
our government now owns not one but TWO car companies. if i hear obama say “i don’t want to run a car company” one more time i’ll shit a prius.
this is the power the democrats wrested away from us through “crisis”. (a crisis they facilitated)
what happens when the GOVERNMENT fails???
if aig was “too big to fail”, if gm was “too big to fail”, would it stand to reason the federal government is too???
obama has already said the government is broke.
congress is now exploring taxing our health insurance bennies.
(haven’t heard yet about a $250,000 cutoff)
look to california. that’s our future.
like they say, “elections have consequences”.
i’d say your suburban may be very consequential.
We may root for differnet football teams, But dude, when it comes to politics, you mt friend are spot on.
Line of the year: I’ll shit a prius……
That was gold.
gold, that may be the investment of the year!
LOL, gold is probably an important hedge right now if hyperinflation hits.
I’m expecting oil to function as a hedge against inflation too.
Talking politics between demos and repubs, between socialists and capitalists, between democratists and facists will get you no further than between Bama and Barners. Fu*k it. Lets play football! RTR!
Thats Eggs way of saying hes a liberal.