Article: A New Detroit Rises in India's South

**cman710** · July-09-10, 10:04 AM

From the Wall Street Journal:

CHENNAI, India—This Indian port city, built around a former British fort, in many ways resembles Detroit circa 1910.

The metropolis of about five million people is booming as scores of international car makers and suppliers have set up shop. Ford Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA, Daimler AG and BMW AG all have converged here.

They are spending billions of dollars to make Chennai one of the world's biggest hubs of small cars for export as well as for increasingly affluent Indians. Soon, the city will turn out close to 1.5 million vehicles a year, more than any one U.S. state made last year.

For the rest of the article, click here.

**Detroitnerd** · July-09-10, 10:39 AM

See? They love making cars. They just hate it when a workforce is unionized. They'd rather pour their money into another country than do it here. Which goes to show that the American business mind verges on the suicidal.

**fryar** · July-09-10, 11:01 AM

Yes, this is something else that would seem not to be sustainable.

**detmsp** · July-09-10, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

See? They love making cars. They just hate it when a workforce is unionized. They'd rather pour their money into another country than do it here. Which goes to show that the American business mind verges on the suicidal.

You're talking about non-american companies [[except Ford) building cars in another country to be sold in another country... What exactly does this have to do with the American business mind?

Also, most [[if not all) of the companies mentioned use unionized labor in their home markets.

**Detroitnerd** · July-09-10, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by detmsp

You're talking about non-american companies [[except Ford) building cars in another country to be sold in another country... What exactly does this have to do with the American business mind?

Also, most [[if not all) of the companies mentioned use unionized labor in their home markets.

I'm talking about Ford, nimrod.

**bailey** · July-09-10, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

I'm talking about Ford, nimrod.

What you drive, drives America.

**cman710** · July-09-10, 11:55 AM

To me, the overrarching lesson from this article is that in a 21st century world, capital for manufacturing will flow to the places most hospitable to business. When making policy, we need to acknowledge that fact and not ignore it. That said, it could be that there is nothing we could do to have those jobs come to the U.S. instead of India. India is a fast-growing market that will have much more growth than the U.S. market will. For that reason, I think it is great for Ford to be establishing a significant presence there. All car companies, whether U.S., Japanese, or any other, need to establish worldwide businesses to be able to survive.

**Detroitnerd** · July-09-10, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by cman710

To me, the overrarching lesson from this article is that in a 21st century world, capital for manufacturing will flow to the places most hospitable to business.

Yeah, unless we were to have a sensible domestic industrial policy, reasonable tariffs, fair union elections, business regulation, and didn't automatically approve every fake-ass "free trade" agreement rammed down our throats.

But, yeah, that would go against the "wisdom" we've been pursuing since 1980. Look at how great it's working for us!

**bailey** · July-09-10, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Yeah, unless we were to have a sensible domestic industrial policy, reasonable tariffs, fair union elections, business regulation, and didn't automatically approve every fake-ass "free trade" agreement rammed down our throats.

But, yeah, that would go against the "wisdom" we've been pursuing since 1980. Look at how great it's working for us!

Depends on who the "us" is you are referring to.

**canuck** · July-09-10, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

See? They love making cars. They just hate it when a workforce is unionized. They'd rather pour their money into another country than do it here. Which goes to show that the American business mind verges on the suicidal.

So cynical of you Dnerd. How can we equate big business with your narrow view of patriotism. There always has to be a plot, always an agenda, never is there a let-up on your part against the profit motive. Anti-american is what you are. Shame on youse.

**windsor_shane** · July-09-10, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

What you drive, drives America.

ok.. i just need to say, i absolutely hate this expression, it makes my blood boil.

you must honestly believe that the "meaning of life" is to purchase and consume automobiles.

seriously.. if we hold our auto industry in such prestigious regard; as to be the sole reason for economic development and prosperity in America or in my case, Canada... we are all so screwed. Our society caters to the auto more than we cater to humans. Suburban wasteland of freeways and parking lots. To live in the suburban world [[entirely a product of the automobile) we are FORCED to use someones product.. When we design our communities we are forced, though taxpayer money to cater to someone's product. We don't care about the 'human environment' only the car. What if i suggested we use billions and billions of tax payer dollars to build helicopter pads and helicopter parking lots so that the personal helicopter industry can flourish? We can walk around saying, "what you fly, drives America" and we could sound just as stupid as we do saying "what you drive, drives America", because when everyone realizes they can now live 300 miles from their work place and just helecopter in, those pretty metro detroit suburbs will be in the same condition as detroit is today.