The squeaky wheel always gets the grease, even in the supposedly Darwinian US business world. The purveyors of the squeakiest four-wheeled vehicles, General Motors and Chrysler, hope for billions more in government loans, in spite of the fact Ford has secured many of the concessions from lenders and unions that the Treasury is still putting pressure on its wards to negotiate.

Ford chief Alan Mulally joined his Detroit counterparts last December in convincing Congress to stave off an industry collapse, such were his fears of the ripple effect, but he will take a more nuanced view now that demand has fallen more than anyone then imagined. Having a competitor go bankrupt could still be devastating for Ford, given the fragility of shared suppliers. But many will probably now fail anyway. The fact is that, had Chrysler gone out of business and a bankrupt GM shuttered weak brands such as Pontiac and Saturn, Ford might well have emerged from the crucible more viable, in a less saturated car market.