< Return to Bears pageFord Trying To Survive Without Government Helpl
Unlike GM and Chrysler, due to more prescient planning Ford has so far been able to weather the economic downturn without significant government assistance. While such an approach certainly has advantages in that the company will not have any kind of conditions forced upon it by the federal government: allowing it to be more flexible and better able to respond to market demands. Nevertheless, the deals its competitors have made with the government has allowed them to borrow over $60 billion in low interest loans, assertively re-negotiate debt and retirement contracts under the auspices of bankruptcy protection, and close dealerships with little negotiation. Across the Atlantic in the European market, even European automakers such as PSA Peugeot Citroen and Opel have received generous support from the French and German Governments, respectively.
