Dinosaur Car Producers On The Edge

Via
Globe And Mail

2008: The make-or-break year for the Detroit Three

Are the companies moving quickly enough to compete globally?


By JEREMY CATO
Globe and Mail

This year, Ford, GM, and Chrysler's combined share of the critical U.S. light-vehicle market stands at 51.1 per cent, down from 53.9 per cent in 2006, from 60 per cent just four years ago and from 81 per cent in 1984.

In November, the Detroit Three slipped under a 50-per-cent monthly share for the second time ever. The first time was in July.

The steady decline of the Detroit Three is, of course, hugely important in the United States, but in Canada, too. Detroit's auto makers have major production facilities in Canada — as do the Japanese, though on a smaller scale. Last year, of the 2.6 million vehicles assembled in Canada, the Detroit Three manufactured nearly 1.8 million of them.

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