Do we still call this an American car?
Washington -- General Motors Corp. will shift more production of vehicles bound for the U.S. market to China, Mexico, South Korea and Japan, but will keep total imports at roughly one-third of all sales here.
In a confidential 12-page presentation to members of Congress, obtained by The Detroit News on Friday, GM said it will boost U.S. sales of vehicles built in those four countries by 98 percent -- or about 365,000 vehicles -- while shrinking production in Canada, Australia and European countries by about 130,000 vehicles.
GM also disclosed it will start importing vehicles made in China in 2011, reaching 51,546 vehicles in 2014. Imports from South Korea to the United States will jump from 36,967 vehicles in 2010 to 157,126 in 2014.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090509/....seas-production
I really don't see where billions in bailouts have protected any Detroit jobs besides the executives. If we can't trust the Chinese to make dog food and not screw it up how can we trust them to build a car?
American Car companies and Foreign Transplants
First let me say that I am a GM salary employee, retired from the US Marine Corps, so my issue may be biased many ways but the thread remains that I am 100% patriotic. However I am not a UAW member.
In one of the threads above I read where one is trying to compare a Toyota tundra to a what? Let's keep apples to apples here?
I'll put a Chevy Silverado up against a Toyota Tundra any day! Made in the USA [[in fact assembled in Pontiac) has better quality, fuel efficiency, standard features for the money, towing capacity, in every category the Silverado exceeds the Tundra hands down!
Now lets talk about the other foreign transplants; Honda, Toyota, Fuji Heavy Industries [[combo of everything from Mitsubishi to Suzuki,) and the latest entries from Korea [[KIA, Hyundai, et al.)
Pick one, any one, I'll give you an "American Car" in the same class that either equals or out performs anything on the list, built here in the USA with our parts and manpower. The added bonus is that the profits from that sale [[you buying it brand new) goes to an "American Car" company.
An American Car is NOT A TRANSPLANT, you can fool yourself all day long or might be one of those people who just like to buy foreign because you think that foreigners make better stuff. But the next time you pull out from that parking lot in your transplant don't fool yourself, your money is going overseas and is included in our trade unbalance which will turn around and bite each and every one of us in a place where the sun don't shine. Hence; Have you lost your job yet? Keep buying foreign?
I can go on and on but don't want to sound like a rant, however in closing I would like to mention [[as was brought up from another- above) in regards to the Industrial Military Complex [[baselinepunk) are you going to depend on "them" [[these transplants) to produce the things you need to defend this country in a time of war? Especially when it might be that very country who is the enemy?
Oh, I'm out of line here?????
Toyota- who was Toyoda, who produced the very guns-swords-trucks and other items that fueled Japan during WW2- cite: Toyoda Automatic Loom Co [[referred to as the sewing machine company who builds cars by my Dad)
Mitsubishi- the famous maker of the Japanese Zero
The endless list of German car makers ...
Did the car you own contribute to the death of Americans?
None of mine has
Ford Family and the Gov loans in 2008-09
First of all "Dump" is a term when you bring one isolated incident and make it out to be be a company wide fact. It means you are blowing out of proportion your case in order to make a point. Exactly what the point is is beyond the scope of things.
With Ford you fail to understand why they are not at the lending table with the other car companies and suppliers and trying to imply that Ford has a better way or thing. Fact is the Ford Family would loose their controlling interest in the company if they accept loans from the federal government and nothing else.
Now I like Ford but it was hard to understand why, at the height of World War 2, that Henry Ford would accept "The Grand Cross of the German Eagle" from Adolf Hitler. Further examination found out the way he treated Jew's in his factories was the underlining reason and he has since [[even after his death) the company has tried to live this down.
http://www.reformation.org/chapter6chart1.jpg
http://www.reformation.org/wall-st-ch6.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rman_Eagle.JPG
Furthermore Henry Ford's newspaper published "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," [[see half way down) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford
Still Ford has their drawing table a Hybrid Focus that gets 81.5 miles per gallon and is still [[arguably) an American Car Company.