Well, I guess most folks don't really care to much if the US auto
companies fold, judging by the internet postings. If one or more does
fold, who has the capital in the US right now buy up any of the
assets? The cost of admission for new vehicle design is very high.

Consider the crash, emission control and fuel economy regs that have
to be met. Some US auto startups have made it for a few years, but
none have ever been sustainable. Will Tesla Motors break the mold? It
would seem that perhaps a Chinese or other foreign company may want
some of the assets, but maybe not. Meanwhile a huge loss of jobs in
the US, for steel, semiconductor, plastics, software etc etc. I doubt
many US consumers realize how many of their own jobs could be affected
by supply chain fallout.

One last consideration, during WII, many auto plants and suppliers
were leaned on to mass produce items needed for the war effort. With
one of our last major manufacturing industries potentially going belly
up, what does that say about our emergency manufacturing capabilities
in the USA?

Seems like a $35Bn loan to the car companies would be a better
investment than AIG etc, especially if the unions provide some
concessions to help. We don't have much history to go on other than
Chrysler's loan in the K car era, which they paid back with interest.
Will the Banks pay back their $700Bn in loans any time soon?