Subject: Re: Control Panel: 2026 Economic Forecasts
The Wiki article estimates about 1900 auto companies, in the US alone. And, of the three still standing, only Ford has survived without a government bailout.

Nope. While GM & Chrysler got money from TARP, Ford took $6 billion from the DOE in the form of a loan. It’s a distinction they played well as “without a government bailout”, and which consumers and much of the media bought, but “government money” is still government money. They took the loan in 2009. Ford used the money to upgrade facilities, and finally repaid the loan in 2022.