We need to look for the structural reasons we can't make a cheaper car compared to China. I don't believe it's all "we pay people too much" either. Autoworkers aren't paid that much.
Historically UAW auto workers made very good money for the type of work they do, probably $100-150k/yr in today's dollars adjusted for inflation. It's changed since 2009ish after the bankruptcies, but the auto industry is still heavily unionized in the North, and the UAW exerts a lot of pressure even on the foreign (non-union) southern automakers by virtue of the threat of unionization, and so auto jobs are still heavily sought after as one of the best jobs you can get for a certain skill level.
It’s not the car assembly that’s the primary bottle neck; it’s the manufacturing of the thousands of parts that make up the car. It takes decades to spin up a supply chain like that (which used to exist in the US but hasn’t for a long time).
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We need to look for the structural reasons we can't make a cheaper car compared to China. I don't believe it's all "we pay people too much" either. Autoworkers aren't paid that much.
Historically UAW auto workers made very good money for the type of work they do, probably $100-150k/yr in today's dollars adjusted for inflation. It's changed since 2009ish after the bankruptcies, but the auto industry is still heavily unionized in the North, and the UAW exerts a lot of pressure even on the foreign (non-union) southern automakers by virtue of the threat of unionization, and so auto jobs are still heavily sought after as one of the best jobs you can get for a certain skill level.
It’s not the car assembly that’s the primary bottle neck; it’s the manufacturing of the thousands of parts that make up the car. It takes decades to spin up a supply chain like that (which used to exist in the US but hasn’t for a long time).