Didn't you hear a few months back, with that GM CEO telling us in those commercials that they paid back their taxpayer loans (aka bailouts) already! :P
Agreed - bailing out what was once the world's most successful corporation was embarrassing, disgusting, should never have happened...etc. They, and the banks, and the insurance companies and Freddie 'n' Fannie should have been liquidated in an orderly fashion. Thanks to the politics, it didn't happen. But, "dangerous precedent"? I remember Chrysler way back in 1979. They repaid, early. GM will, too, if only to try to make us taxpayers happy, IMO.
" I believe that it was a good idea to save GM; it looks like they will repay us taxpayers soon."...
Out of something like $40-50 billion, they repaid a few billion...don't be fooled, they will repay virtually nothing, and, even if they do repay, it still sets a dangerous precedent...as the other poster said, they should have been allowed to go bankrupt and sell their assets...we don't need GM anymore than we needed Studebaker...
IMO, the Germans still build the best cars in the world, but there are now non-German players that offer 95% of the pleasure for 80% of the cost.
I tend to agree; that's why I find the BMW CPO program particularly attractive. For example, right now I'm looking at a CPO one-owner, 22K mile 328i Sport equipped with a manual gearbox and just about every option save navigation and Comfort Access. Asking price is $24K- and there's a year of free maintenance and B@B warranty remaining, after which the CPO warranty extends out to 100K miles or July 2013. That's an extremely good deal, in my opinion- and I'm very tempted...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Yes, due to mismanagement, a failing common to all car companies, even the sainted Toyota. In between bankruptcies, Chrysler had some home runs - minivans, Ram trucks, the 300's and Jeeps. Toyota, BTW, is no "hard core capitalist" success. Their government has always subsidized them by manipulating the yen and barring most imports. Even then, they needed the D3's ineptitude to succeed here. I say, let the fierce competition we have today do its work, bringing better value to us consumers.
Their government has always subsidized them by manipulating the yen and barring most imports.
Nope. You're apparently confusing China with Japan. China can justly be accused of manipulating its currency, the Renminbi. But the Japanese yen has floated freely for many years - just like world's other major currencies: the U.S. dollar, the euro & the Swiss franc.
As far as auto imports are concerned, we discussed this previously. In case you missed that conversation, the D3 declined to invest in building right-hand drive cars for the Japanese market. Like the British, the Japanese drive on the left side of the road, which requires that the driver's controls be on the right side. The D3 couldn't be bothered to accommodate this market requirement, so it's hardly surprising that they didn't sell many cars there. (Lemko will be happy to know that Japanese gangsters like Cadillacs, though.)
Nothing happened to the yuan. It's confusing, but apparently the yuan is a subset of the RMB. I'm tempted to say that the relationship between the yuan & the RMB is the same as the relationship between the dollar & the dime, but that's not really true.
As I understand it, the yuan is a unit of Chinese currency, along with the jiao & the fen, while RMB refers to all Chinese currency.
If someone else has a better, clearer explanation, please jump in & correct me.
I found a new friend that has an '06 S4 'vert due to come off lease in November with 70K miles. Expect I can follow him in and make an offer for around $20K (his buy opt is $25.5K). We'll see what happens. Car has been immaculately maintained.
DETROIT (AP) -- Chrysler Group LLC said Friday that it will add nearly 900 jobs at a factory in suburban Detroit and spare it from a planned closure. The decision is a show of optimism that consumers will embrace the company's refurbished midsize sedans.
The automaker made the announcement at another Detroit-area plant just before President Barack Obama spoke there about the success of the government-funded auto industry bailout.
The jobs will staff a second shift at Chrysler's assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., just north of Detroit, which makes the slow-selling Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring midsize sedans.
In the fall, the company plans to start selling new versions of the cars that it says will be updated from top to bottom. The second shift will begin in the first quarter of next year, Chrysler said.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters that the Sterling Heights factory will stay open beyond its planned closing date in 2012. In addition to the updated Sebring and Avenger, the plant will get the next-generation Chrysler midsize car that will be on a new undercarriage, Marchionne said.
Companies that make parts for the Sebring and Avenger, and the Sebring convertible, which also is built at the plant, are expected to add 500 jobs.
The announcement was made at the Jefferson North factory in Detroit where the Jeep Grand Cherokee is made. Obama toured the plant and later Friday was to visit a General Motors factory that makes the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car.
The company "probably" will add a third shift to the Jefferson North plant after it starts making a new Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle in the fourth quarter. But that will depend on demand for the new vehicle, Marchionne said.
It recently added about 1,100 workers at the plant for a second shift to make the Grand Cherokee.
Marchionne said the additional jobs at Sterling Heights would be a combination of laid-off workers from other factories and new hires. He said he did not know how many jobs would be created but said some of the new hires will make around $14 an hour, about half the pay of older workers.
Workers from factories that Chrysler is closing in Twinsburg, Ohio, near Cleveland; Kenosha, Wis., near Milwaukee; and in Detroit will be offered jobs in Sterling Heights, Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said.
The number of new hires depends on how many workers from the plants that are closing decide to move or retire, she said.
Through June, Chrysler sold just over 42,000 Sebrings and Avengers combined. But that was far behind the 154,000 midsize Camrys sold by Toyota Motor Corp. The Camry is the top-selling car in the U.S.
The 1,270 workers at the Sterling Heights plant have had to worry about the plant closing since Chrysler's bankruptcy. But they were thrilled with the company's announcement of a solid future, said Russell Phillips, a union official and 24-year Chrysler employee.
"We've got some wonderful things going on there," Phillips said. "I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Before we were in a dark tunnel."
Associated Press Writer Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
I doubt the right-hand drive argument; didn't they sell such cars in Britain? Perhaps not. Anyway, I agree that the D3 had no interest in designing cars for the Japanese market - i.e. competitive small, well designed, fuel-efficient vehicles. But, even if they had, I doubt the Japanese government would have welcomed, with tax subsidies, no less, American assembly plants. OTOH, China has permitted plenty of foreign factories, albeit with strict domestic participation requirements. Can't floating currencies be manipulated by central banks, too?
Somehow I doubt the RHD argument, too. Studebaker exported RHD vehicles and even offered them as "Rural Routers" in the states; hard to believe the Big 3 wouldn't have done this as well. In fact, a friend of mine who was in Korea during the war then remembers seeing a RHD Studebaker taxi in Tokyo while he was there on R&R.
I think other countries are/were more 'protectionist' of their auto industries than our country was/is....which I think has contributed to the long-term hurt of our country, whether one despises the domestic product now or not.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Anyway, I agree that the D3 had no interest in designing cars for the Japanese market - i.e. competitive small, well designed, fuel-efficient vehicles. But, even if they had, I doubt the Japanese government would have welcomed, with tax subsidies, no less, American assembly plants
If, as you say (& I agree) that the D3 had no interest in the Japanese market, then what the Japanese government would or would not have done really doesn't matter. The only thing that counts is that the D3 never mounted a serious effort.
The only thing that counts is that the D3 never mounted a serious effort.
They're getting serious now...on the Fleet Side, that is.
Washington DC June 3, 2010; The AIADA newsletter reported that positive sales numbers for America's international auto industry during May fueled a sense of cautious optimism that the U.S. auto industry is undergoing a steady, yet gradual recovery. Industry-wide sales have demonstrated a significant improvement during every month of 2010, with May 2010 sales up 19.1 percent over May 2009. During the month of May, Subaru and Mazda led international nameplates in demonstrating the biggest improvements with both up 35.2 percent. Hyundai continued its positive streak with sales up 32.8 percent while Nissan saw gains of 24.1 percent. Toyota sales were up 3.6 percent, a modest improvement when compared to other automakers. The world's number one automaker, however, did sell the most vehicles of any international brand with 140,597 units. Honda came in second with 105,407 units. General Motors led all U.S. sales with 223,410 units sold, 38 percent of which were fleet sales.
According to numbers from Autodata Corp., international brands sold 582,658 vehicles in May, up from the 540,077 units sold in April, but down from 607,383 units in March. International brands continued to occupy a majority of the U.S. auto market, holding 52.9 percent of May's auto sales, down from the 55 percent share they held in April. Asian brands accounted for 45.1 percent of the U.S. auto market, a slight dip from April's 46.5 percent, while European nameplates held 7.8 percent, down from 8.5 percent in April. Domestic brands completed the month with 47.2 percent of the market.
Top Selling Vehicles Out of the top 10 selling vehicles in May, six were international nameplates, remaining unchanged from April and March. The Toyota Camry regained its spot as the top selling car in America, moving into the third place slot, up from fifth place the previous month. The Honda Civic also moved up two spots into fourth place. The Honda CR-V slipped off the top ten list to number 13. Overall, the Hyundai Sonata showed the biggest year-over-year improvement with sales up an impressive 91.7 percent over May 2009. All of the top ten vehicles, with the exception of the Toyota Camry (down 6.5 percent), averaged year-over-year sales gains of 34.4 percent, up from 28.2 percent in April.
Here is the true picture...USA does NOT do cars well.
Vehicle Segments Americans purchased 316,698 SUVs and crossovers in May, more than any other vehicle segment, and up from the 281,695 purchased in April. The midsize segment clocked sales of 286,190, up from 254,214 in April. For the month overall, Americans purchased 566,955 cars and 535,944 trucks . Asian nameplates sold 314,188 cars and 182,950 trucks, while European nameplates sold 62,926 cars and 22,594 trucks. Domestic nameplate sales totaled 189,841 cars and 330,400 trucks for the month of May.
I think other countries are/were more 'protectionist' of their auto industries than our country was/is....which I think has contributed to the long-term hurt of our country, whether one despises the domestic product now or not.
To repeat what I said in reply to an earlier, similar post, this argument cuts no mustard with me. Protectionist measures, like tariffs, reduce the purchasing power of large numbers of consumers for the benefit of a much smaller, politically connected special interest group. It's just a hidden tax - a way of transferring wealth from my pocket to someone else's.
Most arguments in favor of this nonsense go something like this: because the citizens of Country X allow their government to get away with picking their pockets, we Americans should also bend over without complaining & let our government do the same thing. We'd be poor excuses for free men if we went along with that idiocy.
I haven't seen any proof that tariffs actually confer any long-term benefits on the countries that resort to them. It can't be an accident that one of the few things that most economists agree on, whether they're liberal or conservative, Republicans or Democrats, interventionists or free marketeers, is that tariffs do more harm than good.
Your Wal~Mart dollars at work, baby! We created this monster! Who can slay this dragon? Guess who they'll be passing next? Better brush up on your Mandarin and Cantonese!
BEIJING (AP) -- China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designed.
By some measures it has already moved to second place after the U.S. in total economic output -- a milestone that would underline a pre-eminence not seen since the 18th century, when the Middle Kingdom last served as Asia's military, technological and cultural power.
China is already the biggest exporter, auto buyer and steel producer, and its worldwide influence is growing. The fortunes of companies from Detroit automakers to Brazilian iron miners depend on spending by China's consumers and corporations. And rising wealth brings political presence: Chinese pressure helped to win developing countries a bigger voice in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
"Japan was the powerhouse driving the rest of Asia," said Rob Subbaraman, chief Asia economist for Nomura Securities. "Now the tide is turning and China is becoming a powerful influence on the rest of Asia, including Japan."
China's rise has produced glaring contradictions. The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides.
Japan's people still are among the world's richest, with a per capita income of $37,800 last year, compared with China's $3,600. So are Americans at $42,240, their economy still by far the biggest. But Japan is trapped in a two-decade-old economic slump, the U.S. is wrestling with a financial crisis, and China's sheer economic size and the lure of its vast consumer market adds to its clout abroad.
Its explosive growth has driven conflicting shifts in Asia and beyond, triggering a scramble for commercial opportunity but fueling unease that the wealth is helping to finance a military buildup to press the communist government's claims in the region.
"I think everyone in the region is trying to benefit from Chinese economic dynamism but at the same time is trying to make sure China does not become a regional hegemon," said Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian newspaper.
Exactly when China passes Japan formally will be unclear until after this year ends. It depends on shifting exchange rates and data reported in different forms by the two governments.
Chinese GDP in 2009 was $4.98 trillion and Japan's was $5.07 trillion. In 2010, Chinese GDP was $1.335 trillion for the April-June quarter -- a period for which Tokyo has yet to report. China is growing at 10 percent a year, while Japan's expansion this year is forecast at no more than 3 percent.
"On that basis, the crossover probably happened last quarter," said Julian Jessop, chief international economist for Capital Economics in London, in an e-mail.
Beijing appears to take it for granted that it already has overtaken Japan.
"China already is the world's second-biggest economic body," said a deputy central bank governor, Yi Gang, in a policy discussion posted July 30 on the foreign exchange agency's website.
Australia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries as China's voracious appetite for iron ore, coal and other commodities drove a mining boom that kept its economy growing through the global crisis.
That booming trade prompted Australia to reconsider its stance toward China, previously seen as a communist aggressor. In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaker who was a diplomat in Beijing, called for closer political, economic and academic engagement with the Chinese government.
But Rudd also displayed Australia's independence from Beijing by talking about human rights, Tibet and China's Muslim minorities -- issues Chinese leaders want other countries to keep quiet about. And Australia affirmed its longtime security alliance with Washington -- a counterweight to China's growing might. Rudd's successor, Julia Gillard, has given no sign of a major change of direction.
In the long historical view, China's 21st century rise is a return to the status it held for most of the past 2,000 years as "Zhong Hua," or the Central Brightness, East Asia's economic and military giant and a beacon of technology and elite culture to societies from Vietnam to Korea to Japan.
China's was the biggest economy, with its workshops and textile mills accounting for up to one-third of global manufacturing. But it went into steep decline in the 19th century as its rulers resisted mimicking Japan's embrace of Western technology. By the 1930s, China produced just a few percent of global factory output.
After a civil war, communist takeover and political upheaval, free-enterprise reforms pioneered by leader Deng Xiaoping opened the door for hundreds of millions of Chinese to work their way out of poverty.
Since those reforms began in 1979, China has grown into the world's low-cost factory, its biggest exporter and producer of half its steel. It wants to evolve beyond cheap manufacturing and is trying to build up technology industries but has had little success so far.
Last year, the World Bank ranked China 124th among economies in per capita income, behind Latin America and some African nations, while Japan was No. 32. The United States was 17th.
Yet already, China's consumers are so avidly courted by global companies that products from autos to home appliances destined for sale worldwide are designed with their tastes in mind. This year, French luxury goods maker Hermes Group unveiled a brand, Shang Xia, to be designed specifically for Chinese customers.
Unlike Japan, which renounced aggressive force after its World War II defeat, Beijing sees itself as Asia's rightful military leader. It has openly possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s and is spending heavily to build up the Communist Party's military arm, the 2.5 million-soldier People's Liberation Army.
Beijing's military outlays are the world's second-highest and have tripled since 2000 to an estimated $100 billion last year, though well behind Washington's $617 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's demand for oil, iron ore and other raw materials is pumping money into developing economies as far-flung as Angola and Kazakhstan that supply them. Chinese companies are making inroads into Africa in search of resources and markets.
"Now, Africa has an alternative development model," said Derek Scissors,
We should thank the corporatist neocon bastards who opened up that Pandora's box with absentia trials for crimes against humanity, and a special gift of a noose ,steel blade, or firing squad.
"The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides. "
I'm not sure why you're posting about China in a discussion about cars. Are Chinese-made cars turning up on the mean streets of Philly? I haven't seen any in my neighborhood.
So why aren't you angry at the Germans? After all, the German brands killed off GM's cash cow, Cadillac, & pounded it into irrelevance. In the pricier NYC suburbs, driving a Cadillac instead of a BMW, Mercedes or Audi means that you're (a) socially clueless when it comes to automotive status symbols, (b) too poor to buy or lease German metal or (c) older than dirt.
The D3 could have survived the Asian invasion but they couldn't cope with the loss of their high-profit, high end business to the Germans. The Japanese & Koreans may have stolen more unit sales but the Germans carpet-bombed the bottom line.
So where's the rage at the Germans? (You won't hear it from me because I drive a BMW, & Dad's family hails from the Fatherland.)
I looked at the 2011 Regal and was surprised to see that it is built in Germany. Also it has 21% Canadian parts, 40% German parts. The engine is bulit in the USA, and the transmission is built in China. People want you to buy American. I would if I could find a car that is built totally in America.
FWIW, Buick is still part of a US company, unlike BMW, et.al. BTW, those companies also source globally. Also, FWIW, I believe Regal production is slated to move to Canada, where GM has built cars for decades. Besides, you should only decide whether to buy a Regal based on its merits, no?
As I read through these posts I see the demise of this once great nation. As we spend our way out of our jobs and don't even realize it. Continue to send our wealth and jobs overseas in the name of greed. We send ourselves into Third World status. I am a man who owns a successful business. I know if I don't have people who are working, earning money, a stable economic base, I cannot succeed. I personally try to spend my money as close to home as possible. I have made a huge effort to buy U.S. made goods/services and products. All of you on this board may want to rethink, the main word here is THINK.
As I read through these posts I see the demise of this once great nation. As we spend our way out of our jobs and don't even realize it. Continue to send our wealth and jobs overseas in the name of greed. We send ourselves into Third World status. I am a man who owns a successful business. I know if I don't have people who are working, earning money, a stable economic base, I cannot succeed. I personally try to spend my money as close to home as possible. I have made a huge effort to buy U.S. made goods/services and products. All of you on this board may want to rethink, the main word here is THINK.
It would appear from your post that you think the consumer is at fault here. I'm not attempting to insult you here, but the reality isn't so simple as simply saying "buy American"...
Exactly how is the consumer at fault when there isn't a locally made (ie., US made) product to purchase? It was a business decision (read...MAXIMIZE PROFITS) to move production off-shore in most cases, not any demand created by the consumer. The consumer was never "consulted".
The textile industry, as an example, moved off-shore for exactly that reason, not because the consumer demanded Chinese textile products. Do you really think a $100 pair of jogging shoes couldn't be made in the US at a profit?
So, you are correct in your comment.... THINK!
Where is the clothing YOU wear made? Where is the produce YOU buy at your local grocery store grown? Where is the automobile YOU drive manufactured (and how much of the parts are US made)? Where was the computer YOU posted your comment from made?
How much more are YOU willing to pay in order to have US made products instead of off-shore produced items? Are YOU willing to have government mandates and quotas on production and imports to artificially prop up US business?
Those are all fair questions that one should be prepared to answer before telling others how to behave in their purchasing decisions.
If buying "Close to Home" means third-rate value on the spend, businesses need to re-think their product plans. I agree the key word is think, not greed as is inherent in any bankruptcy result as in GM and C cases.
So why aren't you angry at the Germans? After all, the German brands killed off GM's cash cow, Cadillac, & pounded it into irrelevance. In the pricier NYC suburbs, driving a Cadillac instead of a BMW, Mercedes or Audi means that you're (a) socially clueless when it comes to automotive status symbols, (b) too poor to buy or lease German metal or (c) older than dirt.
That's pretty much the perception here on the left coast as well. Except you forgot one: d) You are a gang member or a drug runner. :P
I looked at the 2011 Regal and was surprised to see that it is built in Germany. Also it has 21% Canadian parts, 40% German parts. The engine is bulit in the USA, and the transmission is built in China. People want you to buy American. I would if I could find a car that is built totally in America.
AFAIR the Camry is the car with the most domestic content.
I am a man who owns a successful business. I know if I don't have people who are working, earning money, a stable economic base, I cannot succeed. I personally try to spend my money as close to home as possible. I have made a huge effort to buy U.S. made goods/services and products. All of you on this board may want to rethink, the main word here is THINK.
First, congratulations to you in helping our economy and being a hard-working businessman.
Second, I guess you are saying to buy that Camry with the most domestic content!
If buying "Close to Home" means third-rate value on the spend, businesses need to re-think their product plans. I agree the key word is think, not greed as is inherent in any bankruptcy result as in GM and C cases.
CircleW, I just *can't* imagine why you don't want to support your hard working UAW citizens with their excellent benefits and retirements! :P
You forgot option (d): I love Cadillacs and don't give a rip what others think of me! I buy a particular marque because I like it. I could have a fortune greater than the combined fortunes of Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, and Warren Buffet and I'd still drive a Cadillac or Buick.
If you're a hard-core capitalist pig, as I am, you have to ask yourself this: is the customer obligated to support a business because of where it's located or whom it employs? Or does the obligation rest entirely with the business to offer the customer exactly what he wants at a price that he's willing to pay? I'd say that any business that wants my patronage must cater to me - not the other way around. This isn't a 2-way street as far as I'm concerned. When I'm shopping, it's all about me.
You never answered a question that I raised a week or so back in my post #9122: how important is country of origin when you're shopping for a car? Do you consider only American brands when you're in the market for a new vehicle? Is "Buy American" central to the way you shop - part of your filtering process - or is it a post-purchase bragging point?
Would you hold back from buying a car that you really liked if it wasn't a domestic?
Speaking personally, I'm an agnostic when it comes to country of origin. I start the shopping process by looking at everything within my price range that appeals to me. I'd venture to guess that most of us here work the same way.
I love Cadillacs and don't give a rip what others think of me!
Yeah, I know, but you haven't answered my question. Why are you raging against the Chinese, who have yet to sell car #1 in this country, & not the Germans, who put your precious brand on life support?
It doesn't make any sense to me. You're not angry at the guy who broke your jaw, took your wallet & left you for dead in the gutter. No, you're angry at someone who's never set foot in your town.
I'm not angry at the Chinese. I'm angry at the corporate elitists in this country that fed the dragon for their own personal gain, ignored the plight of working people at home, and allowed it grow into this dire economic and military threat. It has nothing to do with automobiles. It's waaaaay beyond that.
But those elitists are self-titled "capitalists" (crony oligarchists more like), so it's all good! We can just be thankful the Pandora's Box they opened has been dumb enough to buy so much American debt that if the US collapses, so will they. A post-cold war version of mutually assured destruction. Funny.
So it's better to support non-American workers (and engineers and executives) than this? Astonishing. Talk about "Stockholm Syndrome".
No we should support our American workers who actually want to work without whining about gold plated benefits, and actually produce excellent quality vehicles. Such as the non-UAW workers at the US Honda, BMW, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, etc. factories.
Painting with a broad brush isn't always very accurate. Check out the Edmunds' forums on some of those makes you mention...particularly check out the Honda Odyssey forum. I seem to recall that the vaunted Consumer Reports hadn't been very kind to BMW products in the past several years either. Domestic versus foreign isn't an 'all or nothing 'proposition. However, perceptions are a hard thing to change.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
It has nothing to do with automobiles. It's waaaaay beyond that.
Ah, William Jennings Bryan redux. (If you haven't already done so, read his "Cross of Gold" speech, delivered at the 1896 Democratic Convention. Great stuff - particularly if your political views run toward populism.)
Well, this thread is about automobiles.
So, you're not angry at the Germans for slicing & dicing your favorite brands? Forty years ago, your corporate elitists would have driven Caddy Eldorados to their exclusive country clubs, where they'd meet to scheme against the working class. Today, they're driving Mercedes-Benz SL550s. Glad to hear that you're OK with that.
If you search the net there are plenty of items still manufactured in the U.S. at or near the same cost you would pay at Target, or Walmart. The sad thing is we are a nation of now. We cannot wait the 1 or 2 days it takes to get to our doorstep. I wear made in the U.S. clothing by the way..
One of my automobiles is made in the U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer. I know the whole vehicle is not made in the U.S. But over 80% is. My other is made by a U.S. Manufacturer in another country. Parts come from the U.S., Japan Canada, Mexico. I bought this car before I changed my buying habits.
I buy at local markets, craft fairs ect when buying gifts and fruit/vegetables. I research until I find the product that suits my criteria for being made by an American in America. Granted sometimes I cannot find what I am looking for. Then I buy slightly used, or used. At least I know I did not worsen the national debt, or contribute to our nation being in debt to another nation.
You can place blame where you see fit. Consumers can make change happen if they wish. If Americans were better educated and really understood what they do when they choose to purchase forgein goods and services, I guarantee things would change, quick.
If you search the net there are plenty of items still manufactured in the U.S. at or near the same cost you would pay at Target, or Walmart. The sad thing is we are a nation of now. We cannot wait the 1 or 2 days it takes to get to our doorstep. I wear made in the U.S. clothing by the way..
Name one TV brand manufactured in the US....Or...Any electronic device of any consequence....Cellphone, video game console, computer... And, I suggest you hurry up and buy more US made clothing. Living in the upstate of SC, I can personally attest to the "evaporation" of the US textile industry over the last 30 years. And, that loss of industry/jobs was NOT consumer driven. It was PROFIT driven, plain and simple.
One of my automobiles is made in the U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer. I know the whole vehicle is not made in the U.S. But over 80% is. My other is made by a U.S. Manufacturer in another country. Parts come from the U.S., Japan Canada, Mexico. I bought this car before I changed my buying habits.
So, what is your opinion ...that a US brand vehicle helps the US economy more than a foreign brand vehicle, even if the foreign brand has substantially more US parts and labor in it? (ie., Toyota Camry .vs. Chevy Aveo?) Or, do you feel the foreign brand contributes more if its manufactured here in the US, using substantial US made components?
I buy at local markets, craft fairs ect when buying gifts and fruit/vegetables. I research until I find the product that suits my criteria for being made by an American in America. Granted sometimes I cannot find what I am looking for. Then I buy slightly used, or used. At least I know I did not worsen the national debt, or contribute to our nation being in debt to another nation.
Overall, very admirable to support the local economy. However, is it your contention that buying foreign increases the national debt (because it doesn't)?
Government borrowing more than it collects in taxes increases the national debt. Buying a BMW, Nissan or Hyundai made in the US also doesn't put us in debt to other nations. Buying more from other nations on credit or borrowing from them is what puts us in debt to them. You appear to have debt confused with trade imbalance.
We have a huge trade imbalance with several oil-producing nations, but we aren't in debt (at least, in $$$) to them. Should we stop importing oil? If you say "yes", I hope you enjoy walking.
You can place blame where you see fit. Consumers can make change happen if they wish. If Americans were better educated and really understood what they do when they choose to purchase forgein goods and services, I guarantee things would change, quick.
Maybe...Maybe not. If US consumers chose not to buy foreign made products, what do you think will happen to companies such as Boeing, GE and Caterpillar, as they have a huge export market? How about agricultural exports?
My Dad tought me at a very young age the value of buying American-made products, especially tools. My wife will actually search the internet looking for housewares and linens made in the USA. Sometimes I come home from a shopping trip empty-handed as I couldn't find a US-manufactured product for which I was searching.
what do you think will happen to companies such as Boeing, GE and Caterpillar, as they have a huge export market? How about agricultural exports?
The Chinese will soon have their own sources for products manufactured by Boeing, GE, and Caterpillar. Heck, Japan already manufactures a lot of heavy equipment - Komatsu and Hitachi immediately come to mind. As far as aqricultural products, I'm seeing more and more produce from foreign sources. My co-worker was eating a fruit cup the other day and was astonished to see the label on a Del-Monte fruit cup read "PRODUCT OF CHINA." I guess he just got his RDA of lead and other heavy metals.
Comments
...and FAILED AGAIN!!! :lemon:
Regards,
OW
Out of something like $40-50 billion, they repaid a few billion...don't be fooled, they will repay virtually nothing, and, even if they do repay, it still sets a dangerous precedent...as the other poster said, they should have been allowed to go bankrupt and sell their assets...we don't need GM anymore than we needed Studebaker...
I tend to agree; that's why I find the BMW CPO program particularly attractive. For example, right now I'm looking at a CPO one-owner, 22K mile 328i Sport equipped with a manual gearbox and just about every option save navigation and Comfort Access. Asking price is $24K- and there's a year of free maintenance and B@B warranty remaining, after which the CPO warranty extends out to 100K miles or July 2013.
That's an extremely good deal, in my opinion- and I'm very tempted...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Nope. You're apparently confusing China with Japan. China can justly be accused of manipulating its currency, the Renminbi. But the Japanese yen has floated freely for many years - just like world's other major currencies: the U.S. dollar, the euro & the Swiss franc.
As far as auto imports are concerned, we discussed this previously. In case you missed that conversation, the D3 declined to invest in building right-hand drive cars for the Japanese market. Like the British, the Japanese drive on the left side of the road, which requires that the driver's controls be on the right side. The D3 couldn't be bothered to accommodate this market requirement, so it's hardly surprising that they didn't sell many cars there. (Lemko will be happy to know that Japanese gangsters like Cadillacs, though.)
What happened to the yuan?
As I understand it, the yuan is a unit of Chinese currency, along with the jiao & the fen, while RMB refers to all Chinese currency.
If someone else has a better, clearer explanation, please jump in & correct me.
I still have maybe $75 worth of Chinese currency sitting in a drawer...
I found a new friend that has an '06 S4 'vert due to come off lease in November with 70K miles. Expect I can follow him in and make an offer for around $20K (his buy opt is $25.5K). We'll see what happens. Car has been immaculately maintained.
You know how I love my awd...
Regards,
OW
The automaker made the announcement at another Detroit-area plant just before President Barack Obama spoke there about the success of the government-funded auto industry bailout.
The jobs will staff a second shift at Chrysler's assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., just north of Detroit, which makes the slow-selling Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring midsize sedans.
In the fall, the company plans to start selling new versions of the cars that it says will be updated from top to bottom. The second shift will begin in the first quarter of next year, Chrysler said.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters that the Sterling Heights factory will stay open beyond its planned closing date in 2012. In addition to the updated Sebring and Avenger, the plant will get the next-generation Chrysler midsize car that will be on a new undercarriage, Marchionne said.
Companies that make parts for the Sebring and Avenger, and the Sebring convertible, which also is built at the plant, are expected to add 500 jobs.
The announcement was made at the Jefferson North factory in Detroit where the Jeep Grand Cherokee is made. Obama toured the plant and later Friday was to visit a General Motors factory that makes the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car.
The company "probably" will add a third shift to the Jefferson North plant after it starts making a new Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle in the fourth quarter. But that will depend on demand for the new vehicle, Marchionne said.
It recently added about 1,100 workers at the plant for a second shift to make the Grand Cherokee.
Marchionne said the additional jobs at Sterling Heights would be a combination of laid-off workers from other factories and new hires. He said he did not know how many jobs would be created but said some of the new hires will make around $14 an hour, about half the pay of older workers.
Workers from factories that Chrysler is closing in Twinsburg, Ohio, near Cleveland; Kenosha, Wis., near Milwaukee; and in Detroit will be offered jobs in Sterling Heights, Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said.
The number of new hires depends on how many workers from the plants that are closing decide to move or retire, she said.
Through June, Chrysler sold just over 42,000 Sebrings and Avengers combined. But that was far behind the 154,000 midsize Camrys sold by Toyota Motor Corp. The Camry is the top-selling car in the U.S.
The 1,270 workers at the Sterling Heights plant have had to worry about the plant closing since Chrysler's bankruptcy. But they were thrilled with the company's announcement of a solid future, said Russell Phillips, a union official and 24-year Chrysler employee.
"We've got some wonderful things going on there," Phillips said. "I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Before we were in a dark tunnel."
Associated Press Writer Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
It's a 2007. The only downside is that I hate the thought of having a car payment again- even if it isn't a very large one...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I think other countries are/were more 'protectionist' of their auto industries than our country was/is....which I think has contributed to the long-term hurt of our country, whether one despises the domestic product now or not.
Regards,
OW
If, as you say (& I agree) that the D3 had no interest in the Japanese market, then what the Japanese government would or would not have done really doesn't matter. The only thing that counts is that the D3 never mounted a serious effort.
They're getting serious now...on the Fleet Side, that is.
Washington DC June 3, 2010; The AIADA newsletter reported that positive sales numbers for America's international auto industry during May fueled a sense of cautious optimism that the U.S. auto industry is undergoing a steady, yet gradual recovery. Industry-wide sales have demonstrated a significant improvement during every month of 2010, with May 2010 sales up 19.1 percent over May 2009. During the month of May, Subaru and Mazda led international nameplates in demonstrating the biggest improvements with both up 35.2 percent. Hyundai continued its positive streak with sales up 32.8 percent while Nissan saw gains of 24.1 percent. Toyota sales were up 3.6 percent, a modest improvement when compared to other automakers. The world's number one automaker, however, did sell the most vehicles of any international brand with 140,597 units. Honda came in second with 105,407 units. General Motors led all U.S. sales with 223,410 units sold, 38 percent of which were fleet sales.
According to numbers from Autodata Corp., international brands sold 582,658 vehicles in May, up from the 540,077 units sold in April, but down from 607,383 units in March. International brands continued to occupy a majority of the U.S. auto market, holding 52.9 percent of May's auto sales, down from the 55 percent share they held in April. Asian brands accounted for 45.1 percent of the U.S. auto market, a slight dip from April's 46.5 percent, while European nameplates held 7.8 percent, down from 8.5 percent in April. Domestic brands completed the month with 47.2 percent of the market.
Top Selling Vehicles
Out of the top 10 selling vehicles in May, six were international nameplates, remaining unchanged from April and March. The Toyota Camry regained its spot as the top selling car in America, moving into the third place slot, up from fifth place the previous month. The Honda Civic also moved up two spots into fourth place. The Honda CR-V slipped off the top ten list to number 13. Overall, the Hyundai Sonata
showed the biggest year-over-year improvement with sales up an impressive 91.7 percent over May 2009. All of the top ten vehicles, with the exception of the Toyota Camry (down 6.5 percent), averaged year-over-year sales gains of 34.4 percent, up from 28.2 percent in April.
Here is the true picture...USA does NOT do cars well.
Vehicle Segments
Americans purchased 316,698 SUVs and crossovers in May, more than any other vehicle segment, and up from the 281,695 purchased in April. The midsize segment clocked sales of 286,190, up from 254,214 in April. For the month overall, Americans purchased 566,955 cars and 535,944 trucks
. Asian nameplates sold 314,188 cars and 182,950 trucks, while European nameplates sold 62,926 cars and 22,594 trucks. Domestic nameplate sales totaled 189,841 cars and 330,400 trucks for the month of May.
Regards,
OW
To repeat what I said in reply to an earlier, similar post, this argument cuts no mustard with me. Protectionist measures, like tariffs, reduce the purchasing power of large numbers of consumers for the benefit of a much smaller, politically connected special interest group. It's just a hidden tax - a way of transferring wealth from my pocket to someone else's.
Most arguments in favor of this nonsense go something like this: because the citizens of Country X allow their government to get away with picking their pockets, we Americans should also bend over without complaining & let our government do the same thing. We'd be poor excuses for free men if we went along with that idiocy.
I haven't seen any proof that tariffs actually confer any long-term benefits on the countries that resort to them. It can't be an accident that one of the few things that most economists agree on, whether they're liberal or conservative, Republicans or Democrats, interventionists or free marketeers, is that tariffs do more harm than good.
Regards,
OW
BEIJING (AP) -- China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designed.
By some measures it has already moved to second place after the U.S. in total economic output -- a milestone that would underline a pre-eminence not seen since the 18th century, when the Middle Kingdom last served as Asia's military, technological and cultural power.
China is already the biggest exporter, auto buyer and steel producer, and its worldwide influence is growing. The fortunes of companies from Detroit automakers to Brazilian iron miners depend on spending by China's consumers and corporations. And rising wealth brings political presence: Chinese pressure helped to win developing countries a bigger voice in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
"Japan was the powerhouse driving the rest of Asia," said Rob Subbaraman, chief Asia economist for Nomura Securities. "Now the tide is turning and China is becoming a powerful influence on the rest of Asia, including Japan."
China's rise has produced glaring contradictions. The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides.
Japan's people still are among the world's richest, with a per capita income of $37,800 last year, compared with China's $3,600. So are Americans at $42,240, their economy still by far the biggest. But Japan is trapped in a two-decade-old economic slump, the U.S. is wrestling with a financial crisis, and China's sheer economic size and the lure of its vast consumer market adds to its clout abroad.
Its explosive growth has driven conflicting shifts in Asia and beyond, triggering a scramble for commercial opportunity but fueling unease that the wealth is helping to finance a military buildup to press the communist government's claims in the region.
"I think everyone in the region is trying to benefit from Chinese economic dynamism but at the same time is trying to make sure China does not become a regional hegemon," said Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian newspaper.
Exactly when China passes Japan formally will be unclear until after this year ends. It depends on shifting exchange rates and data reported in different forms by the two governments.
Chinese GDP in 2009 was $4.98 trillion and Japan's was $5.07 trillion. In 2010, Chinese GDP was $1.335 trillion for the April-June quarter -- a period for which Tokyo has yet to report. China is growing at 10 percent a year, while Japan's expansion this year is forecast at no more than 3 percent.
"On that basis, the crossover probably happened last quarter," said Julian Jessop, chief international economist for Capital Economics in London, in an e-mail.
Beijing appears to take it for granted that it already has overtaken Japan.
"China already is the world's second-biggest economic body," said a deputy central bank governor, Yi Gang, in a policy discussion posted July 30 on the foreign exchange agency's website.
Australia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries as China's voracious appetite for iron ore, coal and other commodities drove a mining boom that kept its economy growing through the global crisis.
That booming trade prompted Australia to reconsider its stance toward China, previously seen as a communist aggressor. In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaker who was a diplomat in Beijing, called for closer political, economic and academic engagement with the Chinese government.
But Rudd also displayed Australia's independence from Beijing by talking about human rights, Tibet and China's Muslim minorities -- issues Chinese leaders want other countries to keep quiet about. And Australia affirmed its longtime security alliance with Washington -- a counterweight to China's growing might. Rudd's successor, Julia Gillard, has given no sign of a major change of direction.
In the long historical view, China's 21st century rise is a return to the status it held for most of the past 2,000 years as "Zhong Hua," or the Central Brightness, East Asia's economic and military giant and a beacon of technology and elite culture to societies from Vietnam to Korea to Japan.
China's was the biggest economy, with its workshops and textile mills accounting for up to one-third of global manufacturing. But it went into steep decline in the 19th century as its rulers resisted mimicking Japan's embrace of Western technology. By the 1930s, China produced just a few percent of global factory output.
After a civil war, communist takeover and political upheaval, free-enterprise reforms pioneered by leader Deng Xiaoping opened the door for hundreds of millions of Chinese to work their way out of poverty.
Since those reforms began in 1979, China has grown into the world's low-cost factory, its biggest exporter and producer of half its steel. It wants to evolve beyond cheap manufacturing and is trying to build up technology industries but has had little success so far.
Last year, the World Bank ranked China 124th among economies in per capita income, behind Latin America and some African nations, while Japan was No. 32. The United States was 17th.
Yet already, China's consumers are so avidly courted by global companies that products from autos to home appliances destined for sale worldwide are designed with their tastes in mind. This year, French luxury goods maker Hermes Group unveiled a brand, Shang Xia, to be designed specifically for Chinese customers.
Unlike Japan, which renounced aggressive force after its World War II defeat, Beijing sees itself as Asia's rightful military leader. It has openly possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s and is spending heavily to build up the Communist Party's military arm, the 2.5 million-soldier People's Liberation Army.
Beijing's military outlays are the world's second-highest and have tripled since 2000 to an estimated $100 billion last year, though well behind Washington's $617 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's demand for oil, iron ore and other raw materials is pumping money into developing economies as far-flung as Angola and Kazakhstan that supply them. Chinese companies are making inroads into Africa in search of resources and markets.
"Now, Africa has an alternative development model," said Derek Scissors,
"The wealth gap between an elite who profited most from three decades of reform and its poor majority is so extreme that China has dozens of billionaires while average income for the rest of its 1.3 billion people is among the world's lowest. Beijing has launched two manned space missions and is talking about exporting high-speed trains to California and Europe while families in remote areas live in cave houses cut into hillsides. "
That's the globalist dream for the planet
So why aren't you angry at the Germans? After all, the German brands killed off GM's cash cow, Cadillac, & pounded it into irrelevance. In the pricier NYC suburbs, driving a Cadillac instead of a BMW, Mercedes or Audi means that you're (a) socially clueless when it comes to automotive status symbols, (b) too poor to buy or lease German metal or (c) older than dirt.
The D3 could have survived the Asian invasion but they couldn't cope with the loss of their high-profit, high end business to the Germans. The Japanese & Koreans may have stolen more unit sales but the Germans carpet-bombed the bottom line.
So where's the rage at the Germans? (You won't hear it from me because I drive a BMW, & Dad's family hails from the Fatherland.)
Regards,
OW
I am a man who owns a successful business. I know if I don't have people who are working, earning money, a stable economic base, I cannot succeed. I personally try to spend my money as close to home as possible. I have made a huge effort to buy U.S. made goods/services and products. All of you on this board may want to rethink, the main word here is THINK.
I am a man who owns a successful business. I know if I don't have people who are working, earning money, a stable economic base, I cannot succeed. I personally try to spend my money as close to home as possible. I have made a huge effort to buy U.S. made goods/services and products. All of you on this board may want to rethink, the main word here is THINK.
It would appear from your post that you think the consumer is at fault here. I'm not attempting to insult you here, but the reality isn't so simple as simply saying "buy American"...
Exactly how is the consumer at fault when there isn't a locally made (ie., US made) product to purchase? It was a business decision (read...MAXIMIZE PROFITS) to move production off-shore in most cases, not any demand created by the consumer. The consumer was never "consulted".
The textile industry, as an example, moved off-shore for exactly that reason, not because the consumer demanded Chinese textile products. Do you really think a $100 pair of jogging shoes couldn't be made in the US at a profit?
So, you are correct in your comment.... THINK!
Where is the clothing YOU wear made? Where is the produce YOU buy at your local grocery store grown? Where is the automobile YOU drive manufactured (and how much of the parts are US made)? Where was the computer YOU posted your comment from made?
How much more are YOU willing to pay in order to have US made products instead of off-shore produced items? Are YOU willing to have government mandates and quotas on production and imports to artificially prop up US business?
Those are all fair questions that one should be prepared to answer before telling others how to behave in their purchasing decisions.
Regards,
OW
That's pretty much the perception here on the left coast as well. Except you forgot one: d) You are a gang member or a drug runner. :P
AFAIR the Camry is the car with the most domestic content.
First, congratulations to you in helping our economy and being a hard-working businessman.
Second, I guess you are saying to buy that Camry with the most domestic content!
CircleW, I just *can't* imagine why you don't want to support your hard working UAW citizens with their excellent benefits and retirements!
So it's better to support non-American workers (and engineers and executives) than this? Astonishing. Talk about "Stockholm Syndrome".
:shades:
You never answered a question that I raised a week or so back in my post #9122: how important is country of origin when you're shopping for a car? Do you consider only American brands when you're in the market for a new vehicle? Is "Buy American" central to the way you shop - part of your filtering process - or is it a post-purchase bragging point?
Would you hold back from buying a car that you really liked if it wasn't a domestic?
Speaking personally, I'm an agnostic when it comes to country of origin. I start the shopping process by looking at everything within my price range that appeals to me. I'd venture to guess that most of us here work the same way.
Yeah, I know, but you haven't answered my question. Why are you raging against the Chinese, who have yet to sell car #1 in this country, & not the Germans, who put your precious brand on life support?
It doesn't make any sense to me. You're not angry at the guy who broke your jaw, took your wallet & left you for dead in the gutter. No, you're angry at someone who's never set foot in your town.
No we should support our American workers who actually want to work without whining about gold plated benefits, and actually produce excellent quality vehicles. Such as the non-UAW workers at the US Honda, BMW, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, etc. factories.
Wasn't what you typed here a pretty broad brush, given the number of US workers not working at US nameplate manufacturers?:
So it's better to support non-American workers (and engineers and executives)
:confuse:
Ah, William Jennings Bryan redux. (If you haven't already done so, read his "Cross of Gold" speech, delivered at the 1896 Democratic Convention. Great stuff - particularly if your political views run toward populism.)
Well, this thread is about automobiles.
So, you're not angry at the Germans for slicing & dicing your favorite brands? Forty years ago, your corporate elitists would have driven Caddy Eldorados to their exclusive country clubs, where they'd meet to scheme against the working class. Today, they're driving Mercedes-Benz SL550s. Glad to hear that you're OK with that.
If you search the net there are plenty of items still manufactured in the U.S. at or near the same cost you would pay at Target, or Walmart. The sad thing is we are a nation of now. We cannot wait the 1 or 2 days it takes to get to our doorstep. I wear made in the U.S. clothing by the way..
One of my automobiles is made in the U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer. I know the whole vehicle is not made in the U.S. But over 80% is. My other is made by a U.S. Manufacturer in another country. Parts come from the U.S., Japan Canada, Mexico. I bought this car before I changed my buying habits.
I buy at local markets, craft fairs ect when buying gifts and fruit/vegetables. I research until I find the product that suits my criteria for being made by an American in America. Granted sometimes I cannot find what I am looking for. Then I buy slightly used, or used. At least I know I did not worsen the national debt, or contribute to our nation being in debt to another nation.
You can place blame where you see fit. Consumers can make change happen if they wish. If Americans were better educated and really understood what they do when they choose to purchase forgein goods and services, I guarantee things would change, quick.
Regards,
OW
Name one TV brand manufactured in the US....Or...Any electronic device of any consequence....Cellphone, video game console, computer... And, I suggest you hurry up and buy more US made clothing. Living in the upstate of SC, I can personally attest to the "evaporation" of the US textile industry over the last 30 years. And, that loss of industry/jobs was NOT consumer driven. It was PROFIT driven, plain and simple.
One of my automobiles is made in the U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer. I know the whole vehicle is not made in the U.S. But over 80% is. My other is made by a U.S. Manufacturer in another country. Parts come from the U.S., Japan Canada, Mexico. I bought this car before I changed my buying habits.
So, what is your opinion ...that a US brand vehicle helps the US economy more than a foreign brand vehicle, even if the foreign brand has substantially more US parts and labor in it? (ie., Toyota Camry .vs. Chevy Aveo?) Or, do you feel the foreign brand contributes more if its manufactured here in the US, using substantial US made components?
I buy at local markets, craft fairs ect when buying gifts and fruit/vegetables. I research until I find the product that suits my criteria for being made by an American in America. Granted sometimes I cannot find what I am looking for. Then I buy slightly used, or used. At least I know I did not worsen the national debt, or contribute to our nation being in debt to another nation.
Overall, very admirable to support the local economy. However, is it your contention that buying foreign increases the national debt (because it doesn't)?
Government borrowing more than it collects in taxes increases the national debt. Buying a BMW, Nissan or Hyundai made in the US also doesn't put us in debt to other nations. Buying more from other nations on credit or borrowing from them is what puts us in debt to them. You appear to have debt confused with trade imbalance.
We have a huge trade imbalance with several oil-producing nations, but we aren't in debt (at least, in $$$) to them. Should we stop importing oil? If you say "yes", I hope you enjoy walking.
You can place blame where you see fit. Consumers can make change happen if they wish. If Americans were better educated and really understood what they do when they choose to purchase forgein goods and services, I guarantee things would change, quick.
Maybe...Maybe not. If US consumers chose not to buy foreign made products, what do you think will happen to companies such as Boeing, GE and Caterpillar, as they have a huge export market? How about agricultural exports?
The Chinese will soon have their own sources for products manufactured by Boeing, GE, and Caterpillar. Heck, Japan already manufactures a lot of heavy equipment - Komatsu and Hitachi immediately come to mind. As far as aqricultural products, I'm seeing more and more produce from foreign sources. My co-worker was eating a fruit cup the other day and was astonished to see the label on a Del-Monte fruit cup read "PRODUCT OF CHINA." I guess he just got his RDA of lead and other heavy metals.