GM, Asia and the new reality

[Charles Brown <cbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

GM, Asia and the new reality

December 20, 2004


THIS WEEK IN THE FREE PRESS
This series was prepared by staff writers Tamara Audi, Jamie Butters and
Jeffrey McCracken, and photographers Amy Leang and Romain Blanquart.

Tuesday: India, land of cheap talent and huge potential.

Wednesday: China, where numbers are vast - and sales are growing.

Thursday: In America, some win, others pay a big price.


This is a story about one company, three countries and a world of
uncertainty.

And how global forces are pushing an American icon into new ways of
competing.

As General Motors nears its second century of life, it's adapting to the new
global age by working to transform its empire into an efficient, unified,
international enterprise. It is determined, as well, to lead in a region
where a pair of billion-watt stars are emerging in the world economy: China
and India.

For Americans crushed in the cogs of change, those countries mean pain and
loss. But GM says they also mean something else: opportunity.

Not what you want to hear if you've been cut out of the new economic order.
But if you count on a paycheck, a retirement check, health care or supply
deals from the world's biggest automaker, you're hoping GM is on the right
track.

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm-intro20e_20041220.htm


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<http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/gm20e_20041220.htm>