There's a bit of BS floating around lately about the labor costs of an American car.  It has been suggested that it comes down to $73/hr.  Well, the reality is nobody is paid anything near that.  The $73/hr figure is taking the entire cost of all labor costs and dividing but the number of current automotive workers.  So this cost includes:

• Wages of current employees
• Benefits of current employees
• BENEFITS OF RETIREES

So the actual average hourly wage of an employee is actually $28/hr.  Not $73.  Now if you use that same ridiculous math above and apply it to Japanese car manufacturers, their average cost is $48/hr.  Why so much cheaper?  Well, they've only been making cars here for about 20 years, so they don't have as many retirees to pay for.