The CTS has made tremendous gains in a very competitive luxury car market, and the Lansing Grand River factory is part and parcel of getting the right quality.

The Europeans are already well-structured with diesel and smaller vehicles, whereas the Big Three had to quickly be forced to spend a little more attention on the passenger car market.

In this ultra-competitive global vehicle market, anything DaimlerChrysler as a complete entity can do to streamline administrative functions is going to be a benefit to their competitiveness.

The lack of an investment would be a warning sign. Both the full-size pickup and the next Cadillac CTS are crucial vehicles for GM.

It was a marriage made in heaven. GM needed low-cost development capabilities in Asia, and Daewoo needed stability and an external market.

It's a big step. It highlights their commitment to the market.

The old business model was that bigger plants gained economies of scale -- the more cars you made, the more profitable you became. The new buzz word is flexibility. The successful manufacturers will be the ones that can react quickly and make subtle changes. ... That's something the imports have perfected, but Ford is really grappling with.

Readying for an even more competitive marketplace is in every company's best interest. Even today's profitable manufacturers have to look to the future to ensure that they stay profitable.

There's no doubt the footprint is shifting and the players are shifting.

Toyota is sitting on a pile of money.