Toyota is sitting on a pile of money.
It's a big step. It highlights their commitment to the market.
I see it like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. It'll take a while, but it'll spread its wings.
It was a marriage made in heaven. GM needed low-cost development capabilities in Asia, and Daewoo needed stability and an external market.
The lack of an investment would be a warning sign. Both the full-size pickup and the next Cadillac CTS are crucial vehicles for GM.
I think it's reflective of the fact that they have a critical mass here.
In this ultra-competitive global vehicle market, anything DaimlerChrysler as a complete entity can do to streamline administrative functions is going to be a benefit to their competitiveness.
The Europeans are already well-structured with diesel and smaller vehicles, whereas the Big Three had to quickly be forced to spend a little more attention on the passenger car market.
When the new vehicles arrive, you don't want too many of the old ones on the lot. I see this as a specific case, not a wide-ranging trend.
The CTS has made tremendous gains in a very competitive luxury car market, and the Lansing Grand River factory is part and parcel of getting the right quality.
