Should U.S. automakers just pack up and move to China?

Should U.S. automakers just pack up and move to China? The idea isn't so far fetched.

In the U.S. sales have perked up a bit, but remain deeply depressed. Even if they were better, competition is fierce, it's hard to make profits on the smaller cars and SUVs now in demand and no one feels any particular pressure to buy a new car. They can just keep patching up the old one.

In China, and for that matter, India, the picture is more akin to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century. Families are buying their first or second cars. They won't wait to buy because they don't have an existing model to turn in. It's a gold rush. Sure, there are plenty of Chinese makers -- indeed, U.S. and European makers are required to partner with a Chinese firm -- but the domestic makers still haven't totally nailed the quality equation. Quality? That means a shiny new Buick. (Read More)