2 years ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - As talks continued in Washington this weekend over a potential auto industry bailout plan, car dealerships across the country anxiously await word on what the bailout could mean for them. One car dealership owner waiting to hear how Congress will decide the car industry's fate is Bob Swift, owner of Swift Dodge on Arden Way in Sacramento. Swift Dodge has been in business in Sacramento for the past 42 years and Swift said he has never seen times this tough. "It's a struggle right now. The auto industry is going through a really rough time," Swift said. "It's in a position it's never seen before, even with the Depression, it's never seen this. My father never saw this. It's all unchartered territory." Swift said the American people can help save the auto industry by deciding to buy American-made cars. "People are reluctant to buy our cars because of the perception that maybe the quality isn't what it should be," Swift said. "Therefore, they're going to buy Japanese, they're going to buy a German car, forgetting that 50 years ago, we had to bomb those people and kill them by the thousands to keep them from overtaking our country." Swift said he hoped Congress would pass the bailout package so auto executives could stop worrying and go back to doing their jobs. He also said a deal would be key in freeing up credit to help dealers put more new customers in new cars. As for what happens if the bailout doesn't pass, Swift said he wouldn't be sure what to expect. "Will the auto industry restructure? I don't know," Swift said. "It's unchartered territory. No one knows what it's going to look like on the other side."
