[mcrews]

Labor costs (which includes benefits)are too high to build a cheap car. That is really the bottom line. That's what drove GM to 'bankruptcy'. And the problem really wasn't fixed.
"The Associated Press reported that, for example, the average United Auto Workers member makes $29.78 per hour at GM, while Toyota pays its workers (most of whom are non-union) about $30 per hour. However, when total benefits (including pensions and health care for workers, retirees and their spouses) is factored in, GM's total hourly labor costs is about $69, while Toyota's is about $48."
Benefits cost more than the hourly average rate of$29.