Do you really think the accountants at the big auto companies cannot figure out how to make a profit?
And labor costs are generally included with any annual report.
There are lot lot more sink costs involved with manufacturing anything. And the cost of buildings and machinery are depreciated over a long time—but they cost a fortune to replace or upgrade.
And while robots are making manufacturing more efficient there are a ton of expenses with engineering those that never existed in the past.
Your “feeling” about the cost of labor can be prone with a few hours of digging through annual reports.
But I trust the guys beholden to the shareholders: they are going to find every possible penny to cut off the cost.
Your premise is pretty superficial. The costs associated with off shore production includes the tax basis of the property, the costs of labor and associated taxes and benefits, plus savings on the costs of materials.
As an American I want them to make a profit with American labor. There is nothing wrong with that. A tariff is the only way to protect both union and nonunion workers. I want this because ALL of the other countries we trade with do this and a free trader nation in a mercantilist world will soon to be a poor agrarian nation. We need a tariff to protect us from the borderless greedy fools. This is why I voted for Trump.