U.S. auto industry history, never short of brilliant, but in the current global financial crisis to the fall of the economy. U.S. to start the car era of human society, while the auto industry shaped the American way of life.
General Motors, for several decades since 1940, ranked the largest U.S. manufacturing sector (in terms of the number of terms),glue stick "favorable to the United States on General Motors, and vice versa, for General Motors is also beneficial for America" - when he was chairman of General Motors Charles Swift Wilson (CharlesE.Wilson) of this saying has been permanently stay in the historical records on the United States, glue gun "drove my Chevy to sail Long Beach, Long Beach has have dried up "(Don McLean:" American Pie "), song still ringing in the U.S. auto industry is Gone.
From an economic boom in 2005, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, the three major car companies have years of losses, including General Motors from 2005 to 2008 the cumulative loss of 82 billion U.S. dollars, Ford Motor from 2006 to 2008 the cumulative loss of 30 billion U.S. dollars, times mortgage crisis gave them a decisive blow. Chrysler on April 30, 2009, filed for bankruptcy, according to the company the U.S. government's "surgical bankruptcy" plan, Chrysler's current major shareholder Saibolusi Capital Management (Cerberus Capital Management) will give up all the options, trade unions will be his company's 10 billion U.S. dollars on the Medical Insurance Fund in exchange for 55% stake in debt, Fiat will be its small car technology and global sales network in exchange for 20% stake, will eventually rise to 35 %. June 1, 2007 for 77 years as one of the world champion GM car sales company filed for bankruptcy protection. According to General Motors submitted to the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York Detroit, the assets of the report, the total assets of the company at this time 823 million, total debt was 172.8 billion U.S. dollars, assets and liabilities as high as 210%, has been completely powerless. Under the restructuring plan, GM's eight U.S. brands from the spin-off Saturn, Saab, Hummer, Pontiac 4.
U.S. auto industry from the glory to fall of, learned? Product structure is irrational, the majority of big cars; rigid labor and personnel system, labor costs are too high ... ... these are good, but this is not the most fundamental reason. The fall of the U.S. auto industry is the primary lesson of the development of the national industrial structure imbalance, financial sector and other sectors of the economy draw too many virtual resources, so its not for the real economy sector services, but above the top of the real economy sector, and draws on the can be used for the real economy sector development of human, capital and other resources, so that the real economy sector fell into decline, while the virtual economy based on the loss of which (no matter how indirectly, relying on) the real economy will inevitably go after the crisis. In such a mode of development of industrial structure, in order to diversify the sources of profit, decentralized operational risks, especially in the ever-present pressure from hostile mergers and acquisitions, this is the real economy sector, large industrial and commercial enterprises have become more profit-core restructuring its organizational structure, the traditional sector is not expected to make profits under pressure was placed on profitability, many large industrial and commercial enterprises of the financial sector turned into a small trading center, and the form of financial companies have to become an important participant in the financial markets, development of financial theory change the role of the financial sector gave the company provides guidance tools. By September 17, 1998, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that only 5% of GE Capital GE Capital (GECapital) created 40% of the profits of GM, the U.S. auto industry celebrities Lee lacocca (served as Ford and Chrysler, president of two early 20th century known as the savior of Chrysler) have also complained that, as a large car manufacturers, their financial operations through even greater than the profits earned by manufacturing, sales more than the industry. Is the view of the large Western businesses increasingly deeply involved in financial investment, as early as 1974, F. Moran gave under the large enterprise groups such a definition: "(Group) by a parent company and under the control of the parent a subsidiary of the composition of the whole. the parent is primarily a financial decision-making center, in most cases, it is under the control of subsidiary development company. Moreover, the parent company's primary role is, according to the situation on capital gains kept on control financial investment decision-making. It is this decision-making functions of the parent company of the group given the nature of the financial. "This trend is not reversed the industrial structure, the decline of American manufacturing is inevitable.
The fall of the U.S. auto industry also marks the failure of its political lobbying strategy, excessive pursuit of its political lobbying strategy at the expense of short-term interests of the strategic direction of error, the powerful lobbying power can not be corrected even more of its own strategic mistakes.
Speaking, the U.S. auto industry through political lobbying and create an appropriate action for their ability to survive a first class development environment. As we all know, the private car is the main transport means of transport for the United States, but the traffic pattern is the U.S. auto industry interest groups and political lobbying by commercial operations first-hand shaping. Of the 20th century, 20 years, large U.S. cities has developed public transport system, tram, metro accessible, if the consistent development of public transport, that can meet the needs of production and living of urban residents. However, since the mid-20s, assembled, led by General Motors towards the elimination of a public transportation system, expand the auto sales market, interest groups, whose members include Mobil, Firestone and other large oil companies, their shares through the holding company acquisitions, control 16 cities in 44 states, the public transport system, and then Excluding the proceeds tram tracks and replace them with internal combustion engine powered bus system. After completion of the acquisition and renovation, the interest group in turn sold to the local bus system, the consortium, but set in the transfer of a provision in the contract, which prohibits the purchase of non-gasoline powered transportation equipment.
Electric vehicles internal combustion engine buses shorter life than 28%, 40% higher operating expenses, the result of transformation of the public transport system is operating costs, financial bankruptcy, General Motors led the interest groups derive a double advantage: sale of buses and profit higher than diesel trams and electric trains; transformed public transport system is facing financial difficulties, not going to force consumers to have to buy private cars, while General Motors to replace the bus through the use of private cars increased their income 10 times, the train can be replaced with a truck to increase their income from 25 to 35 times. Is through this strategy, together with Association of American roads, American Truck Association and the American Petroleum Institute lobbied all levels of government continued to require large-scale road construction, and finally to private cars and trucks become the dominant transport way. That in 1971, spending 82% of Americans to invest in transport and road travel related activities, the consequences are high energy consumption, high pollution, traffic congestion, road and housing layout of the disorder, because U.S. residents go out to restaurants, shopping, driving required , walking exercise too little and generally a variety of patients suffering from obesity.
Established dominance of private cars, the U.S. auto industry has launched a sustained and effective lobbying, the U.S. government policy to maintain low oil prices; in American representative democracy, any U.S. politicians do not dare risk offending voters increased the risk of product oil prices, would prefer the financial subsidies, overseas military operations (such as the Iraq war), and other means to maintain such a low price system, because most Americans have become accustomed to the car lives. System of low oil prices, U.S. auto industry sales to continue to develop its high fuel consumption, high-profit models, the U.S. general population are generally regarded as "successful" lifestyle symbol. However, the success of government policy should be able to provide sustainable development for the direction of the signal, and as a non-renewable resources, oil prices will inevitably rise in the long term, artificially low prices is tantamount to the corporate policy sends the wrong signal to guide its in the wrong direction, even in the tactics to obtain temporary relief, eventually the inevitable result of the strategic direction of the fall of error.
Stones from other hills, can learn. Whether the success or failure of other lessons that we can provide a reference, the lessons of the fall of the U.S. auto industry as well. In the "upgrade the industrial structure" under the banner of many sectors and regions of China launched a great wave of development of the virtual economy, but of course there may be a small country in the international division of labor designed body care business development services, a one-fifth of the world's population big country but in any case can not make this count. In view of this, we improve not repeat the same mistakes when the industrial structure. To enterprises, China has emerged the Combination trend, increasing emphasis on corporate profits through the financial operations, through the spread of the financial operations of the exchange rate, Guangzhou Guoxin Hualing Electronics Group is located in a small refrigerator plant in Hefei in 2002 actually occurred the negative financial costs, some large enterprise groups also engaged in international and domestic well-known financial institutions responsible for its asset management business. However, over financial operations also rely on the real economy sector enterprises in China has brought great risk, the crisis in the airline sets of collective security is a major lesson of the huge loss. In political lobbying, the Chinese industry to be more self-examination from time to time, to avoid through the "successful" political lobbying to lock yourself in the "Doom" on the road.