Labor costs...GM's problems

$69 an hour for GM
$48 for Toyota...

Is it all about union contracts?

Toyota invested in the research and development of its Prius.... just about that time, Gm scrapped it's EV1 program... and launched HUMMER

Why scrap the electric car program? Because dealerships make more profit on repairs and replacement parts than they do on selling cars, and electric cars don't need transmissions, clutches, oil changes, etc etc etc. Less parts, less broken parts, less repairs. Less breakdowns = less new car purchases when the old car wears out. (who killed the electric car, the movie)

Mens Journal, page 67, March 2009