Snyder touts auto rebound, pushes road fixes
Gov. Rick Snyder toured the North American International Auto Show on Tuesday, praising the economic turnaround of the auto industry and vowing to ensure Michigan remains home to industry innovations. He also used the stop at the show to urge voters to support a plan to boost Michigan road repairs.
Snyder — despite a torn Achilles tendon — toured the show on crutches and in a golf cart, meeting with Ford CEO Mark Fields, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV CEO Sergio Marchionne and General Motors North America Chief Alan Batey, among others. He noted that 76 percent of the research, development and engineering for the North American auto industry takes place in Michigan. “We want to make sure you get the best people,” Snyder said.
Beyond Detroit’s Big Three automakers, many foreign automakers — including Toyota Motor Corp., Hyundai-Kia, Nissan Motor Co. — along with many auto suppliers conduct much of their research in the state.
“We’re the heart of the auto industry in North America,” Snyder said. “This is cool. You have to be excited about these vehicles ... everything from new exciting muscle cars to green vehicles to SUVs. It’s across the board — the renaissance of the auto industry.”
Snyder got a look at a lot of new vehicles during his tour of the show, including the concept Chevrolet Bolt, Ford GT and Ram 1500 EcoDiesel — which now gets 29 mpg. He canceled a planned trip to Davos, Switzerland, where he was to speak at the World Economic Forum later this month. He joked that given his injury, he isn’t “in a position to be driving anytime soon.”
Snyder told Marchionne that his first car was a Plymouth station wagon that got 12 miles per gallon. “I’m almost embarrassed,” Marchionne said.
Snyder marveled at a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat that gets 707 horsepower. “This year promises to be a good year,” Marchionne told Snyder. “We’re in good shape. ... We have nothing to complain about.”
The governor used the show to pitch his plan to Michigan voters who will decide in May whether to fund additional road repairs. “If you buy one of these wonderful cars, you don’t want to hit a pothole — so let’s get busy fixing the roads,” Snyder said. He said low gas taxes are a positive and make it less of a burden on drivers to fund additional fixes.
He wants to ensure that the next generation of auto engineers gets the proper training. Snyder has a slate of meetings with automakers on Tuesday.
Snyder again urged the thousands of international journalists in Detroit to get out and see the Motor City and take the message back the city has turned around.
The governors of Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky also were in Detroit meeting with automakers — all making the case that companies should look to their states to expand. Ohio Gov. John Kasich wants to convince Chrysler to keep Wrangler production in Toledo, where the vehicle has been built since World War II.