While there seems to be a race to the bottom when it comes to wage rates around the world, companies, especially in the auto sector, are still investing heavily in new technologies like robots. Auto industry experts argue that low-cost labor is not a panacea, especially in a relatively high-technology industry like carmaking. For a variety of reasons, including safety, automation is necessary even in countries where an army of low-paid workers is readily available.
See "The Workplace: Can people take place of robots?", Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune, April 11, 2006