Cars

Although U.S. automakers have struggled in recent years, and there have been layoffs in some of the major manufacturing plants in Detroit, the auto industry still has a huge impact on the U.S. and global economy. For instance, just one automaker, Ford, had a total net income of $6.6 billion dollars alone for 2010. Along with the other U.S. automakers such as Chevy and General Motors, these companies employ thousands of people in the manufacturing, repair, transporting, and sales of autos in the U.S. For example, the Motor Vehicle and Parts Industry employed 732,800 workers in 2008. The United States also spends and earns billions of dollars in exporting U.S. vehicles and importing foreign vehicles with other countries such as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Additional jobs created by the auto industry would include the multi-billion dollar parts industry. Some recent new job opportunities are coming to the forefront due to the push the develop and mass produce energy efficient and hybrid vehicles that take new skills and training to produce and repair. One down side to the economic impact that the auto industry has is the millions of dollars in increased healthcare costs due to polluted air, and vehicle injuries and deaths. As long as people choose to make automobiles their primary source of transportation, then the auto industry will continue to have a very substantial effect on the economy both negative and positive. 

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