, Columnist
U.S. Carmakers Need to Patch Their China Hedge
Growth is no longer assured, but the world’s biggest market is indispensable.
A lot, of cars.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
America’s suffering carmakers can no longer take success for granted in the world’s largest auto market.
The trade dispute that’s raging in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs has made palpable the plight of the Detroit Three — General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV — as they dimmed their outlooks in financial results this week. If it wasn’t clear before, the central role of their China businesses was on display: They either made or broke profits for the quarter.