Actually, if I understand TomP's diary at dKos, it looks like the press was wrong on most of those bits regarding the UAW.  The wage cuts aren't actually wage cuts but merely targets.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

I am sympathetic to the cause of and need for unions, but the UAW has given ground because they had a lot to give. I would like to see a close watch on making this deal fair to everyone.  It is unfortunate that labor is being asked to reduce hard won wage rates, but they really are like the companies, between a rock and a hard place.

Both the manufacturers and labor in Detroit have been privileged in many ways. The manufacturers have had their way with government using influence to  manipulate government and regulation to produce quick short term profits rather than using opportunities to produce innovative, quality products that would have made them competitive for the long term. For its part, labor cut its own throat by refusing to live with reasonable and comparable wage and benefit options, and that's why successful foreign manufacturers chose areas outside Detroit to open their own American plants.

Frankly, I haven't bought a car produced by the Detroit "big three" in over 35 years, and I'm not sure I ever will buy from them again. I rate the Detroit produced cars owned up there with my Fiat as all time worst investments.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

When it comes to high-quality capital goods, and cars, the Chinese still have a long way to go, and they know it. They ar catching up, but not at breathtaking speeds. I almost did an internship with a large Chinese windturbine factory a few years ago, so I looked a bit into that industry then. Even within China, where Chinese produced goods are heavily supported, this largest company in the country had 8% market share or so, mainly in the low-end side of the business. Exporting was still far far away. They were also very busy laying contacts with the west, offering jobs to western students with no experience at all, with whom they could hardly communicate.

I am still curious what would have happened if I had gone there, but I couldn't fit it in my schedule.

As for the cars: looks are deceiving here. Most Chinese cars have their looks carbon-copied from Western and Japanese cars (the previous generation Corolla in this case, but google the "Shuanghuan CEO" for a nice blend of Land Cruiser and X5), and this makes them look much more modern than they really are. I can't judge on the quality of their hybrid system, but I have very little faith in the rest of the car...

But if decent Chinese cars started to turn up somewhere int he next 10 years, I wouldn't be surprised. Especially if they are not lying about mastering hybrid technology

Apparently BYD is primarily a battery maker, so their electric plans are serious. I can see a future fr these cars, even if it is at first just in China. Electric bikes and scooters are already big int he country, and Chinese customers expect a lot less performance from their cars, making them perhaps more willing to switch to electric even if the system is not as polished as Toyota's.

Why can't you have a couple dozen packs the size of an ordinary car battery?

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith