News From the Auto Industry

Poor General Motors. When we compiled last year’s Report Card it was on the rise, with substantially improved quality, profit per unit and return on sales. This year GM’s back in the pits, thanks to UAW strikes that lasted more than a month at the metal fabricating and Delphi parts plants in Flint, Mich. That walkout demolished market share, profit per unit and return on sales. It also damaged the automaker’s managerial credibility, and helped earn GM an overall C-.