American car companies have to pay workers less to stay globally competitive

[Scuba]

[bhikkhu]

1. Germany was my first thought as well

reading the headline. People buy cars for quality and reliability, considering the size of the investment. Skilled workers are a given, but skilled workers who are happy with their jobs and their employer is the real "secret ingredient" in any industry, anywhere.

[hobbit709]

2. The only "workers" in the US are the executives, doncha know

The people that actually do things are just replaceable cogs in the machine.

[Romulox]

3. Most German cars exported to the US are luxury models. VWs for the US market are made in Mexico.

Also, the stat is just incorrect.

[hughee99]

4. Germany produces twice as many cars as the US?

I like the sentiment, but does Germany really produce more cars than the US? And not just more but TWICE as much?

[Scuba]

5. ...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2011/12/21/germany-builds-twice-as-many-cars-as-the-u-s-while-paying-its-auto-workers-twice-as-much/

[hughee99]

6. According to the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers)

This data is not correct and the US has outproduced Germany by even more in 2011 and 2012.

http://oica.net/wp-content/uploads/all-vehicles-2010.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_motor_vehicle_production#cite_note-5 (sourcing the OICA numbers)

I don't disagree with the general pints in the article, but I don't think these numbers are right