The Detroit Three Say They Are Back! But Do You Think So?

They're certainly in the best position for positive growth they've been in for years. Ford is the only one which seems to be capable of becoming an industry leader right now. They have a clear focus, a good handle on design and production efficiency and exciting products that compete with anything from Asia.

At the same time the source article is the Detroit News, which is unabashedly, pro-Detroit.

Ford - Yes

GM - in about a year or two when these new models start to really sell (Volt, Cruze, Sonic, etc.)

Chrysler - Not yet.
-200 not for sale yet
-300 won't sell like the last version
-Jeep needs a Liberty refresh and needs to ditch the Patriot and make the Chrokee again with a V6 option and great off-roadability.
-Dodge still has no small car.

They have a ways to go still. I'm afraid that by the time FIAT comes back the 500 will be outmoded a la Camaro which was debuted over 2 years before it hit floors for sale.

Ford is back....Chrysler not at all and to early to tell on GM

Of course they have come back. GM through it's IPO has paid back signigicantly to the government. Chrysler who nobody thought had a rats chance of surviving has had a 17% increase in sales before the revised 300,revised Charger and 200/Avenger have even come out. The New Grand Cherokee is doing well and Fiat's 500 is about to come on line.Chrysler is now talking about doing an IPO,Fiat has taken an additional 5% ownership,workers have been rehired. GM has received good reviews on the Volt and the Chevy Cruze. They have a new subcompact replacing the Aveo. The Buick Verano and Regal have gotten positive reviews. One situation is very different now then 3 yrs ago. All 3 automakers are now much better positioned with the right product especially if gas prices go back up to $4.00 per gallon again.They are not soley dependent on truck sales for their bottom line. Another stroke of luck has also helped them a little. The Toyota debacle has broken the allure that Japanese cars are perfect in their reliability. Ford now is at least on par with Toyota. This has allowed the US 3 to gain back market share.Further I think you can use the term "older and wiser" to the US 3.Because of renegotiating of union contracts the cost to build cars today has now dropped to parity with foreign automakers that have factories in the US.This was really critical to being able to make a profit. So to answer the question again are the 3 US automakers back. The answer has to be yes but with a slight question mark.That being can they sustain it with continued high unemployment. While Ford has done a great job it now needs to update some of it's product like the Fusion,Mustang and Taurus. The Fusion is getting to be a little long in the tooth,The Mustang as well and it needs IRS. The Taurus is nothing more then a rebodied 500. It is simply too heavy.Lincoln needs some reviving with new product as well. The ball of competition is and always will be a moving target.

Wait you congratulate Chrysler and then say Ford needs to update the Mustang (restyled and with new powertrains for 2010), Taurus (refreshed and significantly updated in 2009, and Fusion (refreshed in 2008). Not one of those cars is over 3 years old, hardly what I would call long in the tooth when GM hasn't refreshed the Corvette since 2006 and the 300 has only received minimal changes since 2002.

FWIW Ford has publically stated that all vehicles will be on 3 year refresh cycles. We will see a new Fusion next year (merging with the European Mondeo).

what are you smoking! GM has paid only a fraction of the debt. No one bothers to read the fine print. The government made payable only a fraction of the bailout (about $8 billion of the $20 or so billion)and pretty much gave away the rest, while even loosing money on the IPO. GM is a disgrace. I will never support a company that took my tax money without asking, then lied about its purposes and payments (not to mention they bailed out unions pension plans with it too!).

Chrysler also took our money without asking and their products have not improved at all.

So far, 0 for 2.

The only Detroit company to save face, and doing an incredibly fine job is Ford. I've never liked Fords, but they have my respect for how they handled business and how they have stepped up their game with EVs and other models. I may not be in the market for a Ford in the near future but if finances force me to , that is the brand I will opt for instead of GM or Chrysler. I only wish they also get rid of the UAW.

Very well written . I have no idea why you got deboosted

very well written , mini 22, that is

I wouldn't call generating $200,000,000,000 (as in BILLION) and employing hundreds of thousands of taxpayers (directly and indirectly) as well as funding hundreds of thousands of tax paying GM retirees, - I wouldn't call that "broken dead weight anchors" - if so, we need a lot more of them.

@AgentOrange: "...I wouldn't call generating $200,000,000,000 (as in BILLION)..."

Dude, you're smokin' somethin' wunnerful :-) When you borrow $300B and pay out $200B in "value", we call that operating at a loss. That's what the multi-billion dollar bail-outs were all about: You can't continue to operate at a loss. And when the buck stops, the folks who you're indebted to are out of pocket. In this case, it's the tax payers, in a BIG way. We've added hundreds of billions to the national debt, to save huge enterprises that operate at a loss. And that debt hurts us, the tax payers, in the form of debt support payments and taxes. Call this a "good story" if you want :-/

@Steve;
The U.S. taxpayer bailout of GM was $60 Billion, not $300 Billion.
Aditionally GM generates GT $200 Billion revenue PER YEAR. Thats GT $2 TRILLION in 10 years.
Think of the economic benefits that has to the country. The income tax paid by workers will far exceed the money borrowed.
If you're O.K. with all that GDP going offshore, then you got yer head up yer butt.

@AgentOrange: You would be served well by taking a lesson in basic accounting to learn the difference between revenue and profit. Billions in revenue aren't worth a damn if you're running billions in losses. That's an accurate picture of the Old GM. Too early to see if the New GM will follow in the same footsteps.

MEANVULCAN IS SPOT ON! You have my blessing!

@Steve;
Actually, I have advanced degrees in Economics, Accounting and Finance and used to be a CFO for a major international company.
I think that if you understand the impact of the multiplier effect of dollars generated in an economy and add up all the taxes that will be paid by waorkers, retirees, suppliers, etc, etc, etc over the next 10 years ansd include the portion of the $60B the government will recover from the loan thru sale of shares held in treasury, then the bailout will look like an absolute bargain.

Theyre definitely back and doing lovely. At least theyre TRYING to be competitive, unlike toyota's lame @ss who doesnt even TRY and who'd go out of business if it werent for ignorant lemmings.

Only Ford, not GM and definitely not Chrysler-Fiat.

What kind of story is this? looks like 009 didn't get his usual anti American response because intelligence ruled out this time. (not often it does on this site) Is this anti American Thursday?

"uaw_lax",

Anti-American is sucking the life blood out of American car companies for your own selfish gain, a la the UAW. There's nothing patriotic about driving formerly great American institutions into the ground.
Anti-American is soaking American taxpayers for hundreds of millions of dollars in bailout money.
Anti-American is corrupting gov't with financial payoffs to pro-union politicians for quid pro quo favors.

Exposing the corruption with articles such as those posted by Agent 009 is far more patriotic than anything the UAW is doing.

Have we lost our perspective, or do we have short memories? Mere months after bankruptcies and multi-billion dollar bailouts, someone thinks the Big Three "are back"?

Steve says let these companies run without handouts for a couple of years, and see if they are profitable, and their charts are heading "up and to the right." Then we can say , yeah, maybe they're doing well. Before that, it's like celebrating "I got cancer beat" just because you didn't die on the operating table.

Yes to Ford is a no-brainer, GM in another year or two but I think you guys are highly underestimating Chrysler. Chrysler has some of the neatest and best vehicles on the market. Minivans may not be very exciting but they are in demand and outsold Honda to be #1 on the planet. Chrysler has the best where as Ford and Gm have nothing to offer. The ZF 8 speed will be offered in a few months for the trucks and SRT8 models and a 9 speed auto for the FWD and RWD v6 is on its way. The 500 will sell like hotcakes with an electric version comming. Caravan and Challenger just got top loyalty awards. All models have received highly upgraded interiors that challenge other brands. The new Pen V6 is one of wards 10 best engines in the world and more worker were hired at the engine assembly plant to keep up with demand. With all that Sergio has done with Chrysler I predict they will come back faster and better than GM.

BD You don't have a clue of what your talking about. Case in point, Fiat is Italian not French. Get a clue. Your comment was opinion not fact.

BD - you are an idiot.

Chrysler is not up to par with GM and FORD but they are considerably smaller than the 2 and they have Sergioooo. He does what he says and he plays hardball.

GM small cars are just warmed over Deawoooos. They have no minivans. Their Trucks are just now doing things that Dodge/Ram did years ago such as boxed frames, jell cabs, compression release [jake brake] still no factory winch. The Durango with the new Pen V6 has very good mileage. The new 300C is getting a 9 8 speed ZF auto trans and will get 30 mpg or better. GM has nothing to compete with Jeep and so on. GM is a year behind Chrysler. Kudos to Ford.
http://www.allpar.cpm/news/index.php/2011/01/alkerson-offers-excuses-marchionne-offers-products

Sorry guys this works better.
http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2011/01/alkerson-offers-excuses-marchionne-offers-products

minivans are a thing of the past a 7 passenger car based SUV has the same mpg and better handling than any minivan GM and Ford where smart to realize this that's why CB suv sales are through the roof.

one more time. http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2011/01/akerson-offers-excuses-marchionne-offers-products