Mike Smitka on the Auto Industry, Japan, and China
Mike SmitkaI write about the global auto industry, with occasional posts on the economies of China and Japan, and on economics as a science.
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February 2026 US Labor Force Data: No Trump Effect to Date
Introduction
This morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data for February 2026. It’s important to get beyond the headlines, so here I look at select details that typically aren’t covered by the media.
Participation rates...
The Roots of China's Overcapacity
Preface
Aaron Krolik of the New York Times interviewed yours truly as well as Tu Le of At The Wheel (with Joe White), John Paul MacDuffie and Scott Kennedy. His core question is why the stock prices of China’s automotive producers are...
GM vs BYD: Divergent Strategic Challenges
(Mumbling through) An introduction
Prelude
Joe White at High Speed Rodeo has already posted a comment on the Fed conference, focusing on Honda and Trump’s USMCA. But Joe was a journalist, so churning out a substack post every cou...
Restructuring China's Auto Industry
I’m presenting at the January GERPISA conference in Paris. For better and for worse, it’s a virtual conference, or at least my component is. The annual GERPISA conference will however be in person, in Paris June 15-18, 2026. Here are initia...
Quick update: US labor force participation
OK, we have the latest updates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly labor survey. One note is that manufacturing employment is not growing, despite the Administration’s emphasis that tariffs would bring jobs home. In contrast, the sh...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
I'm a retired economist focused on the global auto industry. I also taught about the Japanese and Chinese economies for 30+ years, with languages and 8 years in Asia. I've visited 100+ auto & supplier factories in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Etc
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