Nov 29, 2008

Detroit Automakers Get Little Sympathy From West Point, GA.

The Los Angeles Times online reports on the budding relationship between Auto maker Kia and the town of West Point, Georgia:
"Reporting from West Point, Ga. — This attractive old mill town along the Chattahoochee River, with its brick downtown and streets of cozy, unpretentious homes, could be the backdrop for a patriotic American car commercial -- lacking only the plaintive croak of a Bob Seger or John Mellencamp.

But America's Big Three automakers, which are teetering at a financial abyss, shouldn't expect much sympathy here.

Kia Motors, the South Korean automaker, is building a plant in town, promising 2,500 jobs to help replace a textile industry that has all but vanished. The locals are excited to have nonunion work that will start at about $14 per hour. They are discovering the joys of bulgogi -- a different kind of barbecue -- at the Korean restaurants popping up.

And many are wondering why Detroit still thinks it's so special that it can ask taxpayers for a $25-billion bailout."

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