A longtime Big Three economist on why the automaker crisis would be funny if it weren't so tragic.
Walter McManus is director of the Automotive Analysis division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. He earned a PhD in economics from UCLA and has two decades of automotive industry experience. His research focuses on the interaction of the industry, society, and the environment. He worked at GM for nine years in market analysis and product development; and at J.D. Power and Associates for five years as executive director of forecasting.