When Detroit's Big Three automakers return to Capitol Hill next week to re-plead their case for a $25 billion emergency loan, they may be flanked by a posse of supporters.
A plan is taking shape for auto suppliers, dealers and factory workers to caravan from Detroit to Washington in American-made, fuel-efficient vehicles. The National Automobile Dealers Association is considering flying in dealers from around the country to deliver the "message of Main Street," underscoring the urgency of the industry's crisis.
Discussions on the lobbying efforts began last week immediately after the top executives from Ford, General Motors and Chrysler appeared before a skeptical Congress, setting off a wave of anger and frustration within the auto industry.
"It was clear from the comments from the members of Congress that what they knew about Detroit pretty much stopped at 1999," said Peter M. De Lorenzo, a former automotive advertising executive and editor of the Autoextremist.com blog, a must-read for industry insiders. "They regurgitated all the same stuff: Detroit doesn't make vehicles anyone wants. Detroit doesn't have high-tech expertise. Detroit doesn't make fuel-efficient cars." read more
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