U.S. automakers should turn to alliances again

TO THE EDITOR:

We are all concerned about the rising strength of Chinese automakers. So far, the response has mostly been to run to the government for cover. Oddly enough, Republicans and Democrats are united behind punitive tariffs.

But another way American automakers can deal with this challenge is to dust off the playbook used in prior rounds of rising Asian powers: Sign ’em up. I recall when we panicked about the Japanese, we turned to alliances such as GM Suzuki, Ford Mazda, Chrysler Mitsubishi, etc. And during the Korean wave there was GM buying Daewoo and Ford linking to Kia, etc.

This time around, the specifics and the relative power balances are of course different, but as before, the Americans can offer domestic distribution and diplomatic cover and available plant capacity while the overseas partners can offer battery technology, integrated software solutions and more. I am somewhat mystified as to why the “Can’t beat ’em? Join ’em!” option has not been more widely discussed.

GLENN MERCER, President, GM Automotive, Shaker Heights, Ohio
The writer is an automotive consultant.