Regular readers will recall that we predicted this: With the “cash for clunkers” incentives now history, car sales are falling back to the abysmally low levels they reached early this year. The Associated Press reports that General Motors’ September sales were…

As yesterday’s column mentions, bailout backlash is one risk that General Motors faces. Some of its most loyal customers, the buy-America crowd, may be so angry about the government bailout that they’ll shop for a Ford or perhaps even a foreign brand.…

I explained all the reasons why “cash for clunkers” is both terrible economic policy and terrible environmental policy, but the idea appears to be on the Washington fast track anyway. Apparently Bill Ford has more clout than I do.

The White House and…

The Big Three automakers’ real problem is that they don’t make enough cars that Americans want to buy. A case in point, the Detroit News points out, is the lineup of vehicles owned by members of the new Presidential Task Force…

A lively debate has erupted over labor costs at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Figures of $70, $72 or even $75 an hour are often cited as evidence that the companies and the United Auto Workers have not made the sacrifices necessary to compete with…

In a case of life imitating Saturday Night Live, at least two of the three Detroit auto CEOs intend to drive to Washington for their return engagement. The SNL jokesters aren’t the only folks having fun at Detroit’s expense, either. Antony…

This may be stating the obvious, but a federal bailout for the auto industry wouldn’t just affect the three troubled companies in question. It also would affect their competitors, which employ hundreds of thousands of American workers. And, Dartmouth business…

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is probably the best way for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to solve their cash crunch. That’s the solution I proposed in Tuesday’s column, and it’s also favored by University of Chicago finance professors Luigi Zingales and Joshua…

USA Today reports that frugality is the new watchword at General Motors, and describes cost cuts ranging from canceling star-studded parties to skimping on office supplies. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson is quoted as saying:

The office supply cabinets have only the bare…

As Congress and the new president ponder whether to bail out the auto industry, a new report from the Center for Automotive Research will undoubtedly get a lot of attention. It estimates that if General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all cease operations,…