Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

ateixeira

Yet the drug lords don't?

stever

Toluca is a pretty nice spot near Mexico City and pretty prosperous, at least the downtown that I've been to a couple of times.

And you can't pay off tornados. :P

I'm sure my niece's neighborhood still looks like the aftermath of a war zone two months after her area got hit. Shoot, there's still a big mess off the interstate around neighboring Ringgold GA from the real bad tornado last year. She's only a couple of miles from the VW factory.

andres3

The way I see it, Mexico CAN'T be any worse than the UAW.

Was at Wal-Mart today and they had bottom of the barrel TV's from Sony and Samsung made in Mexico! Door mats made in the USA (both for interior and exterior), and then of course the cheapest of the cheap TV brands were made in China (Vizio).

ateixeira

Coincidentally there's a bribery scandal, WalMart in Mexico, too. Story is just breaking...

imidazol97

Ateixeira: Thanks for the heads up about the article. Times has an 8 point discussion.

A massive New York Times investigation exposes how Walmart allegedly ignored evidence of bribery south of the border. Read 8 revelations from the report.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/22/8-revelations-from-walmart-s-me- xican-bribery-scandal.html

ateixeira

Cicero had resigned from the company in 2004 because, he told the Times, he felt underappreciated after participating in years of corruption

Hard to build a case when your star witness played a part in it.

Eduardo Castro-Wright ... frequency of bribes increased dramatically while he was in charge ... scheduled to retire in July.

Coward. Quick, seize his assets.

By now he's probably got swiss bank accounts and a house in the Virgin Islands.

berri

The sad truth is that in many parts of the world bribery is just part of their system and culture. The Walmart bribery didn't take place on US soil, but the do-gooder, sanctimonious Ivy Leagers running Washington want to butt in on everything in the world to fit their opinions. It happened in Mexico, so shouldn't it be up to that country to decide under their law whether it was illegal? America needs to be competitive in each different market. If they aren't breaking that country's laws, why do we want to handicap them against other foreign competitors who aren't under the same constraints from their government? Frankly, this is just more of that green weinie anti-Walmart stuff IMO.

ateixeira

Build it (better cars) and they will come:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/26/chrysler-group-reports-quadrupled-q1-profits-- on-u-s-sales-incre/

motorcity6

Isn't Chrysler owned by Fiat, UAW, and Canada??? Fiat is broke, the UAW is corrupt, and Canada is another liberal friend of the UAW..We will never know how much USA tax money was invested and lost..

While I do like some of their cars, my last Chrysler product was a 66 Barracuda with the S pkg..did 85k miles w/o any serious hiccups..Bought it new, also had a 60 Dodge Matador V-8, new, dumped it after 7k miles, fast but flaky..Bought wife a used Plymouth Valiant, junk..So out of the 53 cars owned, only 3 were Chryslers..Had twin-Chrysler V-8s in a 30ft 1978 Sea Ray, no complaints..

Son has a Chrysler Hemi--300C, happy with it.

Chrysler is really a foreign manufacturer now..Zero interest on my part..

stever

"Fiat, based in Italy, took over bankrupt Chrysler in 2009 as part of a bailout deal put together by the U.S. government. Since then, Chrysler has repaid its loans from the U.S. taxpayers and bought out Uncle Sam's stake in the company.

It fulfilled the last piece of that agreement in January, when it announced plans to produce the economical Dodge Dart in Illinois. Refinancing its debt saved $71 million during the quarter."

Chrysler profit best in 13 years (detroitnews.com)

afaik, UAW's VEBA trust still has its 45.7 percent stake in Chrysler. (Reuters). Ah, this story says that Fiat has the right to buy most of the VEBA shares back and may do so.

ateixeira

Didn't Fiat pay an exorbitant interest rate on the money borrowed to buy Chrylser, though?

I don't recall exactly because it was a TV interview with Marchionne.

stever

You mean they went to a buy here/pay here place?

Don't know.

What I'm curious about is why Fiat seems to be doing a better job of making money with Chrysler than Daimler-Benz did.

ateixeira

Ha ha, yeah, sort of.

Fiat came in with a "what can we improve" approach. They figure Chrysler can make trucks and minivans so they'll use Fiat platforms for small cars.

Daimler came looking for synergies, trying to see "where can we cut costs". There were no synergies.

andre1969

Daimler came looking for synergies, trying to see "where can we cut costs". There were no synergies.

Daimler came in looking for cash and equity to raid, and pretty much left the company a lifeless husk. At some point in the mid 1990's, before Daimler took over, Chrysler was awash in cash, and had their biggest market share since something like 1957.

I think their share had gotten up to something like 16-17%, compared to 19% in 1957. But back in 1957, they really only had GM and Ford to compete with. Studebaker/Packard was in serious decline, although American Motors was starting to make some noise with the compact Rambler that year. On the foreign front, I think VW and Renault were pretty popular. But it was nothing like today, where we have Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, VW, etc. and the "foreigners" are competing on all fronts, not just cheap economy cars.

I'm pretty impressed with what Fiat has done so far with Chrysler. Heck, I'm even impressed with the 200! I'd never buy one, simply because there are better cars out there, but at least it's not so far behind the pack like the old Sebring had been.

ateixeira

My dad just bought a 200 'vert. Love that engine...

motorcity6

The druggies will keep the Mexican operations running smoother and cheaper than the UAW ability to offer any upside except dues for the liberal politicians. Mexico was a fun place back in the mid-50s..The border town of Nogales was a hot spot for partying, and bullfights, and Guaymas was lively site for weekend blasts..and offshore fishing in the Gulf of California.

Mexico offered the getaway from the academic schedule of the Univ of Arizona..Tucson was another party town, but more action south of the border..I did that long drive from the "Hoosier State" couple times a year..in a modified 1950 6-banger 2dr Chevy fastback. Dual carbs, and dual exhausts, reworked ignition, however the biggest restriction was lack of full-pressure lubrication which restricted top end cruising to about 68 mph..whereas speeds above the "oil pressure" would drop..Blew a 48 Chev engine, and then inherited a 50 Ford V-8 Crestliner w/overdrive which was right at home with high speed runs, but parental concerns for the public safety placed me back in the Chevy domain, limiting the top end..

Tough life!!!!!!

ateixeira

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/toyota-looking-for-high-volume-prius-assembly- -in-u-s-by-2015/

mcdawgg

Excellent news! (Well, some people will find fault with it ).

anythngbutgm

lol so true...

motorcity6

Toy's sales rose 12% in April, returning to levels post earthquake of March 2011..Only pluses for GM was GMC sales, the other nameplates were down..New discounts are on the horizion, and the used car prices should dip in harmony..

Cadillac is coming out with some great incentives according to my son in Detroit who suddenly wants to dump his 2008 300C Chrysler w/78k showing..He was contacted by some Caddy exec from corporate level..Maybe after owning 7 new Caddies, a special deal will be forthcoming..I reminded him that the last STS ended up with a cracked block and his Allante was total disaster..

I am looking for a Toy SE w/V-6 and sunroof only, no other frills..No more Govt Motor products is my garage.. Let's support our Asian friends for they are still nonunion..I have a Camry in the garage on which I pay all the bills however don't own, so I am familiar with the local dealer.. They get the oil change business and any thing else is done by a private shop 3 blocks away..A month ago the a/c suddenly stopped, however due to a posting on some website, it turned out to be a very small relay, and I visited the dealer parts dept and they were out of them..I went to my private repair shop and they had 2 left out of the 5 they had purchased from the Toy dealer, same price as the dealer $76.. Instant air again..If I had taken the car to the dealer it would have been a new compressor+the relay..

ateixeira

Contrasting news today:

Ford's new EcoBoost tech is so popular they can't meet demand so they're adding another shift and creating tons of new jobs.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/02/ford-adding-third-shift-to-build-more-ecoboos- t-v6s-250-jobs-sav/

Same for Hyundai:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/02/hyundai-adding-third-shift-nearly-900-jobs-in- -alabama/

Meanwhile GM axes 100 R&D positions:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/01/gm-to-axe-100-randd-positions/

berri

Sometimes I wonder if GM would be better off outsourcing some of their engineering???

fintail

Doesn't Korea already handle a ton of it?

Seeing as GM is making the most profits in that part of the world (at least until China develops enough mettle to make a competitive product, and seizes the domestic facilities), it makes sense.

ateixeira

For their small cars.

The Sonic is actually a Korean design. They build it in both Korea and the USA, though. The Aveo was all Korean.

The Spark will be Korean designed and built. From the remnants of what was once Daewoo.

Day-WHO?

iwant12

Thought you were looking at a new Mustang? What happened? I really want a new '13 GT but am happy for now with the new Grand Cherokee. My wife is looking to trade in her 05 Mazda6 (great little car) next year. I want her to think domestic but she's got her mind set on a BMW 3 series. Oh, boy!

roadburner

I drove a '12 GT with the proper tranny(six speed manual) fully expecting to fall in love but it left me cold. Fast enough but the steering was numb and it just felt too soft. If I was buying a Mustang it would have to be the Boss 302, and for that kind of money I'd rather have a CPO Cayman S or E92 M3, or S4.
The new F30 328i is a sweetheart; 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, the 1/4 mile in 14.2, and EPA numbers of 24/32- and that's with the slushbox. Decent handling, if a bit soft.

ateixeira

X1 will soon be made in Spartanburg. I was surprised by the low (for BMW) starting price - just $31.5k.

Mark my words - they will sell tons and tons of these.

roadburner

My wife -like me- prefers smaller cars, and she has been considering replacing her X3 with a Countryman. The X1 might keep her in the BMW fold, especially since our dealer has such a great service department and the Mini dealer's customer service is a bit of an unknown quantity.

ateixeira

I tend to like small cars, too, but more specifically light cars.

Have you driven a Countryman? How'd you like it? AWD turbos are kinda heavy...

roadburner

Haven't driven it yet- and I prefer lighter as well.

robr2

The X1 might keep her in the BMW fold, especially since our dealer has such a great service department and the Mini dealer's customer service is a bit of an unknown quantity.

Aren't they one and same??

Around here, the Mini dealers are owned and co-located with their BMW parents.

roadburner

Aren't they one and same??

Around here, the Mini dealers are owned and co-located with their BMW parents.

You'd think so, but in Louisville the Mercedes dealer has the Mini franchise. I heard that the dealer group that has the BMW franchise represents so many dealers that the suits at Mini thought that they wouldn't get enough attention.

fintail

Funny, a BMW-MB partnership of rivals like that reminds me of the co-located Toyota/Chevy dealer in the small town where my mom lives. It also once had a co-located Honda/Buick/Caddy dealer, now just Honda.

ateixeira

I think dealer franchise owners do it so that they have something to offer for each individual customer. Hedging their bets.

If you think about it, it makes more sense to have Toyota + Chevy than having Ford + Chevy.

With the latter they would only draw in domestic buyers.

fintail

The domestics thing makes sense, but still odd that they would have deathmatch competitors in the same building though. Can't imagine my local MB and BMW or Lexus dealers aligning like that.

The place has become a monopoly too - same group owns every new dealership within 20 miles but the lone Honda dealer.

ateixeira

I'm not sure how that dealer is setup up, but usually a lux franchise will require their own "store front".

In reality what that often means is one building with 2 unique entrances. So they can re-model what used to be one dealership and make it look separate.

fintail

The local Jag/Rover dealer is like that, along with the Rolls/Bentley/Lambo (maybe no surprise there), otherwise none share like that.

The Toyota/Chevy dealer I mentioned shared one kind of old timey maybe early 80s era building, no distinctions that I recall...although I seem to recall talk of building an additional building on the same site.

ateixeira

Not to bash on the domestics but Toyota has an amazing sales-per-dealer volume, so they certainly draw a ton of traffic.

Would not hurt to have, say, a Malibu or new Fusion exposed to those hordes of people.

fintail

Good point there...Toyota draws traffic, and all of it might not seek out a Camrolla in the end.

ateixeira

The new Fusion would certainly steal my attention...

bpizzuti

That's not because of the high number of buyers, it's because of the comparatively low number of dealers.

ateixeira

Likely both.

But you're right, I drive to the beach, 2.5 hours, and there must be 8 Ford dealers on the way. 1 or 2 Toyota dealers.

motorcity6

Always looking for the Mustang, and several weeks ago found a 2001 Stang Bullit w/20k miles, clean CarFax and second owner only put 1500 miles on it in 16 mos..It was bought for the son and when he turned 16, pop got the insurance bill and the Bullit went bye-bye. Traded in for some Chevy and I just happened to see it on the internet..Dealer was close by, looked at it, sat in it started and a quick look-see..Called next morning, and was on my way, and got a call that it was sold, sight unseen and was picked up 2 weeks later..Went around $11500.. Nice car, I was just p---ed at my procrastinating over the whole deal..It's easy to walk into a dealer and buy a new car, then suffer the loss of value instantly.

There are a ton of new GTs for sale, however 30+ grand really doesn't make me happy, and I need a sunroof which Ford doesn't offer and I can't find anybody in the Motorcity offering it..besides the GT doesn't offer the automatic tranny with the V-8 w/performance pkg..However the 2013 V-6 Stang w/performance pkg is now available w/automatic tranny, no sunroof..top end is limited to 111 mph..which can be overcome with chip work..

In closing, the Bullit was a good buy and I screwed up..Don't want a Camaro, bloated GM heavy weight, and the 1LS Camaro w/sport suspension comes with two different tire sizes, another no-no..has a sunroof, only plus..

Sorry to ramble, but that comes with age..

cannon3

Buying American. What does it mean? how about you keeping your job! I had a chance a while back to be in on a conversation with a college graduate. She was complaining about how she had to work for low wages. How she cannot find a "better paying job". Somehow topic turned towards here new Kia Soul. I laughed and asked her if she could think there could be a connection with her buying forgein products and her not being able to find better employment. Her first response was "I am not in the auto manufacturing field". I then had to explain to this college graduate how even though she feels she is not connected... She really is.. So, I explained how her money went to Korea, supported a Korean workers, Korean taxpayers, Korean infrastructure... ect.... Connect the dots America! Demand American products and services.

mikefm58

So what do you consider an American made product? Is a Ford made in Mexico more American than the Honda Accord made in Ohio? We all want the same thing, which is to spend our hard earned dollars that helps our country the most. But IMHO, vehicles assembled here with a majority of American parts is a better choice than something assembled elsewhere.

anythngbutgm

Co-worker traded his Mexican made Chevy Avalanche for a Texas built Tundra yesterday.

fezo

I just switched states last October, trading an Alabama Odyssey for a Kentucky Solara.

ateixeira

That Kia was actually designed in California, though it is manufactured in Korea.

So all the high paying jobs were in Cali.

roadburner

Getting closer to American made; my wife is looking at a Mini Clubman- made by our cousins, at least...

fintail

But does 50 100K jobs equal the impact of 1000 35K jobs?