Can Detroit Be Retooled — Before It's Too Late?

The President's auto task force is imposing a brutal overhaul of U.S. automakers that may include bankruptcy for GM. But the payoff could be huge when car sales rebound. And they will

Henrik Spohler / Laif / Redux

Clarification Appended: April 2, 2009

The automobile business is great. Just ask someone who's in it. "People want to buy cars," says Rod Buscher, CEO of Summit Automotive Partners in Denver, which owns 30 assorted dealerships nationwide. And he really wants to sell cars. The problem is that would-be buyers lack either the income or the access to credit that would allow them to drive a new Malibu or Lincoln or Camry off the lot. That won't last forever; in fact, the automobile business figures to be good in 2011 and terrific in 2012 — which also happens to be...

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