Detroit's car firms fight for dollars

They have cut thousands of jobs, closed plants and tried to shift their products away from trucks and sport utility vehicles, but the three US-based carmakers still are not making money in North America, the place that made them industrial powerhouses.

Executives from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, as well as many industry watchers, seem confident that the home-turf profits will come, but a lot depends on how quickly the companies can cut costs and raise productivity by taking advantage of making cars across the globe.