The news out of Detroit has been grim of late, but there are some bright spots coming from one corner of the Motor City. On Thursday, General Motors posted its 14th straight profitable quarter since emerging from bankruptcy. Ford announced its 16th consecutive profitable quarter Wednesday and Chrysler is expected to offer good news soon, as well.
And for the first time in more than 20 years, a domestic sedan, the Chevy Impala, won top marks from Consumer Reports.
But while this should be good news in a city that has just filed for bankruptcy, what's good for Detroit's automakers isn't always good for Detroit.
None of the car companies would agree to talk about Detroit's bankruptcy on tape for this story. But when you consider the Big Three — and the auto industry as a whole — there's one fact to recognize, says Michael Robinet, an analyst with IHS Automotive.
"The epicenter for the U.S. automotive industry, from a vehicle production perspective, is probably northern Kentucky," he says.
Robinet says cars and Detroit are inextricably linked emotionally and culturally, but not so much financially anymore.
"All the major decisions within the global automotive industry somehow weave their way through Detroit," he says. "So this is still the heart of the industry. A lot of the muscle around it has sort of moved to other parts of the country."
The home of General Motors sits in downtown Detroit, but it's the only auto company actually headquartered inside the city limits. The company has about 30,000 employees in the Detroit area, but just a little more than 4,000 of them work inside the city itself.
Ford, in contrast, is headquarted in Dearborn, Mich., and its plants in the region are outside the city limits. Chrysler is headquartered in Auburn Hills, north of the city.
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