International Product is King at Detroit Auto Show, Boosting Competition and Benefits to Consumers

Washington DC January 16, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that the prospect of an international automaker unseating the world’s No. 1 automaker, General Motors, has "energized the auto world and given new momentum to competitors" as evidenced at the Detroit Auto Show, according to The Washington Post.

In the coming year, automakers will introduce 27 redesigned and 23 new models in the U.S. market, giving consumers not only a bevy of new, high-quality choices, but choices that will likely spawn further price wars.

Some analysts credit free trade for sparking the competition -- and the increasingly better choices -- among automakers. "The world is converging," Michael Robinet, vice president of vehicle forecasting at CSM Worldwide told the Post. "Trade is becoming freer, no matter how many trade hawks are on the horizon. We are down the road to freer trade, and it will not end. The quicker countries and governments accept this, the better off they will be."

Even as GM and Ford struggle to trim their bottom lines to compete with sophisticated product offerings such as the hypoallergenic new Toyota Camry, American automakers recognize that the key to success is product.

"We’re going to keep bringing out new cars and trucks. We’ve got to do that for success," Wagoner said. "We are in the very early stages of the soccer game. A lot of time is left and we’re going to be ready to play."

In the meantime, competition will only intensify: in Detroit, Geely Automobile Co. became the first Chinese automaker to announce plans to begin sales in the U.S., slated for 2008.