U.S. auto industry gets its comeuppance

Re “Ford Unveils Wide Job Cuts, Plant Closures,” Jan. 24

Should Ford and General Motors eventually fold, the economic impact would affect nearly the entire country, as well as significantly diminish an already dimmed American reputation for manufacturing know-how and competitiveness.

While the warning signs have grown brighter over the last decade, the American automotive industry and labor have remained in the dark. Healthcare and pension obligations are real issues, but the primary problem is that American manufacturers have failed to recognize that a good product is the bottom line.

Am I rooting for Ford and GM to turn themselves around? Yes, most definitely. Whether they will remains to be seen.

LEWIS REDDING

Arcadia

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Ford’s planned layoff of 30,000 employees, compounded by a similar layoff at General Motors, is indeed a sad day of reckoning for our automobile industry, which once set the standard for the world. The reason became clear to me today when I saw a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle that had City of Los Angeles signage. The manufacturer of the vehicle was Honda.

While American automobile manufacturers concentrate their efforts on vehicles that burn gas by the bucketful, Japan is developing fuel-efficient vehicles. Fuel conservation is a matter of national survival. Would Iran dare go forward with a nuclear program if it didn’t hold the energy card?

Our once-proud automotive giants are laying off employees, while their competitors are growing.

ROBERT S. SAGE

Woodland Hills