And why can't they today? Could it be that perhaps the wages of the unskilled production workers in our UAW automotive plants are unrealistically high and the benefits packages too exhorbitant?
But there isn’t much price difference between GM/Ford/Chrysler (UAW) and US-built Honda and Toyota (non-union) equivalent vehicles (e.g. malibu, fusion, chrysler 200 vs. camry accord). They all cost roughly the same given similar trim levels. Now healthcare costs are a real PITA, but foreign companies don’t have that problem because of their single-payer systems (not that I’m advocating that here!!).
If labor was free, or pure robotic, the retail price of a car would only go down 5-7% off the sticker.