Big 3 in fight for home-market supremacy

No other nation sells or produces more vehicles than the United States. Automotive Engineering International kicks off its annual Global Viewpoints three-month series of region-specific articles by examining what technologies U.S.-based OEMs and suppliers are pursuing to be a winner in the market no one can ignore.

Despite their best efforts, and with a few exceptions, America-bred automakers collectively are stumbling against their competitors in the global arena. So strong and fast has the competition become that the Big 3 don't even enjoy much of a home-field advantage in their own venue, losing an ever-widening sliver of U.S. market share pie-and with it, their capability to mount a counterattack.

But, as many observers have noted, it's not all gloom and doom for the Chrysler Group, Ford, and General Motors. All of them are alive and making money-albeit not as much as many of their competitors. They certainly cannot be taken for granted even by the juggernaut Toyota. As Chrysler has demonstrated with its Chrysler 300C, Ford with its Mustang, and GM with its Corvette, great new products can undo a lot of damage.