[Emunsesoxmete]

No tax cuts. Government incentives for investment. Also, the government didn't need to take over any auto makers because VW, KIA, and Peugeot seem to be better run than Ford, GM, and Chrysler. VW will produce a line of smaller cars in Slovakia along with the Toureg.

and what would the govt incentives be?

[Evdokia]

I believe a 5% tax "incentive" equals a government subsidy/handout.

Why not just cut taxes 5% across the board?

Oh, because they can't.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

[Emunsesoxmete]

part of my youth was spent in toledo ohio, the home of jeep. i remember jeep needed new mftg facilities. they were not going to go anywhere, seeing as though detroit was 40 mins north and all their suppliers were within a few miles. but, since they had leverage (2,000+ jobs at one time), they used it. they threatened the city that they would move south for cheaper labor. the city caved in and gave them huge tax concessions for their new facility and gave them the 25 acres to build.

its a sad story but teaches us a good point on the importance of a diversified industry & work force. the city really wondered where all these "skilled" union workers would go.......

[OixKKcj1]

In Slovakia:

AFP: VW's Slovak plant to create 8,500 jobs

[flopay]

How did they do it, cash for clunkers, raising taxes, A trillion dollar porkulus?

[OixKKcj1]

How did they do it, cash for clunkers, raising taxes, A trillion dollar porkulus?

Making cars that people want to buy, small and fuel efficient. Long with government incentives.

[flopay]

Making cars that people want to buy, small and fuel efficient. Long with government incentives.

Do you mean TAX CUTS, not gubmint take overs?

[OixKKcj1]

Do you mean TAX CUTS, not gubmint take overs?

No tax cuts. Government incentives for investment. Also, the government didn't need to take over any auto makers because VW, KIA, and Peugeot seem to be better run than Ford, GM, and Chrysler. VW will produce a line of smaller cars in Slovakia along with the Toureg.

[OixKKcj1]

Detroit East

[Wahwlsnt]

How did they do it, cash for clunkers, raising taxes, A trillion dollar porkulus?

Germany did have a cash for clunkers program which cost around 7 billion US dollars.
http://http://thecarenthusiastonline.blogspot.com/2009/06/germanys-cash-for-clunkers.html

[dserbokim]

The Czechs built one of my all-time favorite cars:



And Tatra built the only good cars built during the Communist era behind the Iron Curtain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_%28company%29

[flopay]

What the he1l was I reading??????

"The Slovak government said in December it would support the VW investment with a tax relief amounting to five percent of the total amount."

[OixKKcj1]

The Czechs built one of my all-time favorite cars:



And Tatra built the only good cars built during the Communist era behind the Iron Curtain.

Tatra (company) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay Leno has one:
Tatra T87 - Video - Jay Leno's Garage

Czechoslovakia had a history of making cars:

Praga
Skoda
Tatra
Bugatti
Laurent & Klement

[UnmariKam]

The Czechs built one of my all-time favorite cars:



And Tatra built the only good cars built during the Communist era behind the Iron Curtain.

Tatra (company) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It looks like the love child of a VW Beetle and a Citroen.

There are zero Czech auto companies; they couldn't survive the transition to capitalism. The only reason the production is so concentrated in that part of Eastern Europe is cost. The workers are willing to work for less, and the governments are willing to throw money at the manufacturers. If the dollar continues its decline we'll be the low-cost country too, but it just means that we'll be poorer.

[OixKKcj1]

It looks like the love child of a VW Beetle and a Citroen.

There are zero Czech auto companies; they couldn't survive the transition to capitalism. The only reason the production is so concentrated in that part of Eastern Europe is cost. The workers are willing to work for less, and the governments are willing to throw money at the manufacturers. If the dollar continues its decline we'll be the low-cost country too, but it just means that we'll be poorer.

Actually, the VW is the descendant of the Tatra. VW infringed on several key Tatra patents and Porsche admitted to stealing the patents in a lawsuit won by Tatra. Unfortunately, it was won in 1960 and T87 was long gone.

Tatra still makes trucks. They make the ultimate SUV: Tatra 815 8X8

Many of the people that came to work in steel in the USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries were from eastern Europe and they came with some experience. I'm thinking about Poland and probably the Czech areas as well. So this type of manufacturing isn't so unusual there.

What killed the Czechoslovak auto industry were the Nazis who didn't want a Czech car competing with their cars. Then the Russians came with the humungus is better philosophy and changed small industry into big industry and cars weren't part of the plan.