The city, long dogged by its image as a rusting auto giant, barely made it over million in 1990, and then only after a recount.

Playing catch-up a decade late, the world's auto giants now find that they have to lease or buy technology from Toyota.

After a particularly bad year, the Japanese auto giant emerges in Detroit with a cut-rate hybrid - but will anybody buy it?

Then, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of big companies, including the auto giants, came to Washington to lobby for health care relief.

Danny had gone to Detroit, tripled his salary when he began work for one of Detroit's auto giants.

But more than the auto giants are involved.

Growing up 15 minutes from a Chrysler plant in Illinois, I still remember the 1980 bailout of the auto giant.

Now those streets are crowded with protesters marching against the auto giant and its plan to cut about 20 percent of its work force.

It seems the two wounded auto giants have something in common besides difficulty in competing with the Japanese.

The world's auto giants do not seem to care.