Ford Benefiting From the "Buy Non-Socialized American" Market

You can still buy a non-socialized American car and more and more people are doing it:

Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its U.S. sales fell 24 percent in May from a year ago, but sales rose 20 percent from April as the automaker continues to gain market share from its competitors now under bankruptcy protection.

Dearborn-based Ford said it sold 161,197 cars and light trucks in the U.S. last month, the highest figure since July 2008. Sales of the Ford Fusion rose 9.4 percent as the company began selling new 2010 models of the midsize sedan along with a hybrid version. Ford said it sold a record number Fusions, 19,786 in May, which was surpassed only by sales of its F-series pickup trucks.

Ford says its better cars are driving sales and its increasing market share, not GM and Chrysler's filings for bankruptcy protection. The company said it plans to increase production levels in the second quarter by 10,000 vehicles, to 445,000, in contrast to its U.S. competitors that are cutting production and idling plants this summer.

Ford also said it plans to build 460,000 vehicles in the third quarter, 42,000 more than in the third quarter of 2008.

Americans don't buy cars out of altruism, so if Obama is expecting American auto buyers to flock to GM and Chrysler just to help them out, it's not going to happen. Smart buyers will run from both those brands, and the used car market for GM and Chrysler products will also tank as people begin to realize that spare parts may become difficult to find.

The only thing the government has accomplished with the GM and Chrysler bailouts is the maintaining of a portion of the union jobs for a little while longer. The collapse of both is inevitable.

If Ford is not hamstrung by a bunch of new regulations, they'll succeed. They have a number of products that people want and as long as they can keep building them, at least one of the Big 3 has a chance.