Michigan's Most Valuable Company

**Onthe405** · December-15-16, 03:22 PM

Q: Which one of the "Big 3" auto manufacturers holds the position of the most valuable company in the state of Michigan?

A: Surprisingly, none of the above, and not based in Metro Detroit. . . .

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/large...192618386.html

**401don** · December-15-16, 04:13 PM

Not surprising at all really. Auto stocks never rebounded since the 2008 crash relative to their huge profits. Wall Street is very nervous about the future of the industry and how the autonomous vehicle future will play out.

**SammyS** · December-15-16, 04:35 PM

IMO, autonomous vehicles will turn the car into a commodity for the sole purpose of transportation, just like it was intended. No more ownership, customization, personalization etc. Think about it as a service on demand where you only pay when in use. When not in use, the auto is off on other jobs. If this vision does pan out, then there may be as many cars on the road but way WAY less parked. All of this will obviously result in less sales

**Onthe405** · December-15-16, 04:57 PM

. . .and the current #1 could be unseated if the Dow-DuPont deal obtains Fed approval

**ParisianLesion** · December-15-16, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by SammyS

IMO, autonomous vehicles will turn the car into a commodity for the sole purpose of transportation, just like it was intended. No more ownership, customization, personalization etc. Think about it as a service on demand where you only pay when in use. When not in use, the auto is off on other jobs. If this vision does pan out, then there may be as many cars on the road but way WAY less parked. All of this will obviously result in less sales

Disagree. First of all, too many variables to say for sure, but if the cars are in constant use then they will wear out quicker and require more frequent replacement. The average age of the private passenger vehicle is 11 years right now...

**SammyS** · December-15-16, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by ParisianLesion

Disagree. First of all, too many variables to say for sure, but if the cars are in constant use then they will wear out quicker and require more frequent replacement. The average age of the private passenger vehicle is 11 years right now...

GM specifications are currently 200k miles/15 years. From validation testing and statistical reliability analysis, components should survive even longer. Just look at taxi cabs and police cars. Regardless, if you currently use your vehicle for 2 or 3 hours daily, there's more than enough time to have it "automatically" serviced during the remaining hours rather than having it sitting around rotting. Yes, a car stationary does more damage than one that is used and maintained regularly.

Having said that, this does not mean car companies will not survive this upcoming revolution in transportation. There will be just as many uses but far less owners. Says nothing regarding the OEM's margins/profitability which defines survivability.

PS. I also think it will come down to "operating systems". Auto companies provide the hardware, 3rd party sources compete to provide the autonomous driving algorithms and connectivity. I believe this is exactly where tech companies such as Google and Apple are trying to position themselves.