Gotta pay off the UAW.
The companies should have been allowed to bankrupt. Toyota, Honda, Ford, et al would have then been able to buy production capacity for pennies on the dollar, resulting in more robust and profitable auto companies, and either a reduction in the price of cars, or an increase in the profitability of companies that have proved to be good stewards. Win for everyone.
Now, we have 2 companies that continue to hemorrhage money, no reduction in the price of cars, no increase in the profit of car makers, lose lose lose lose, all around.
Exactly, I believe this is referred to as "creative destruction", the process by which resources get moved from companies that have squandered them to companies that will put the resources to more efficient use. Banks should have been allowed to go through this process also. The free market works if it allowed to, those who take the risk should get the reward and suffer the losses, not the taxpayer.
But of course this was about saving union jobs and those care dealers were not union.