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Automotive News & Views Does America Even Need Its Own Automakers?
1788 messages, Last post on Mar 03, 2009 at 2:18 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: fezo (May 22, 2007 10:55 am) I did point out to my wife that my 6 cost us $3000 less than her Jetta  . OTOH, the Jetta was by far the lowest priced of all the cars she considered buying, so it was good that it was also the one she liked best  .
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Replying to: jeffyscott (May 22, 2007 11:16 am) Back when I bought our 00 Accord I really wanted a Passat but got cold feet. Just as well. Six months later the only nearby Volkswagen dealership burned to the ground. Seven years later they have started rebuilding but still aren't near opening. |
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Replying to: louiswei (May 22, 2007 4:20 am) I just hope that if push comes to shove, we'll still be able to get supplies we need in case any supplying country becomes hostile towards us (i.e. China, or S. Korea if the North were to invade, or any S. american country aligning w/ a country like Venezuela). I don't think we can trust anybody but ourselves, and even that is a stretch. |
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Replying to: bpizzuti (May 22, 2007 7:42 am) I'm a free market guy, who would prefer to buy American where I can, and I agree with what you're saying as well. I'm all over the place, but here's the deal. I have driven mostly American (owned companies) cars all my life. But when Lincoln quit making luxury cars (about 05) I went to Lexus. I did it with not much remorse because Ford got what they deserved - they abandoned me, I didn't leave them. As for where the car is made, I don't really care. I would rather buy GM or Ford, but if they make the car in Mexico to be competitive, that's fine. Toyota makes most of their cars in the US now - how strange? Not really, it escapes the import duty that way. These companies must do what they must do to remain competitive or die. Nobody thinks GM and Ford going away will be good for America - but they have to perform, and management and the unions must do whatever it takes to be competitive and survive. Anyway, that's how I feel. |
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Replying to: fezo (May 22, 2007 10:55 am) And that someone lives in china, where you can get factory overflows dirt cheap.
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Replying to: nwng (May 23, 2007 2:03 pm) |
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Replying to: nwng (May 23, 2007 2:03 pm) |
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Replying to: nwng (May 23, 2007 2:03 pm) Bounty and "Made in USA" stuff is pricey, and I guess it's cheaper here, so whenever I go I just load up on it. I guess the allure of something made in the US is worth something to family members overseas... (that and the thought of getting the quilted quicker picker upper for less $$  )
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 22, 2007 8:23 am) Second, while companies like AM General, Cat, Prevost, Hughes, etc. may be able to make enough for defense today, how about if we encounter another situation like WW II? We will NEED american companies like GM, Ford, and Chrysler to pick up the slack and start building these things for a scaled up war. I think it would be dangerous to rely on a foreign company HQ'ed in a country purported to be our ally for any extra manufacturing we may need just because they have plants here. I know I'm being a little vague, but I could forsee a situation where we need the manufacturing capacity, and if all we had to rely on to pick up the slack was Toyota or Honda, and the Japanese gov't said "No, don't" because they don't believe in the American policy that led to this (hypothetical) major conflict, and the Administration was hesitant about just seizing their plants because they were trying to coax the Japanese to see things our way, it could be dangerous. Third, Humvees may be a poor excuse, but retaining our manufacturing base and job retention is an EXCELLENT reason for keeping the big 3 alive. |
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Replying to: cooterbfd (May 23, 2007 6:08 pm) I can't imagine such an idea ever flying in this country if, indeed, the Big Three went broke. They would just have to die off and be replaced by something else that can make a profit. Our weapons manufacturers are rolling in money--they are much better off than our car makers. So if you're saying to turn car makers into weapons manufacturers, rather than some dual-purpose enterprise, well that might work. Just convert the infrastructure. But we couldn't possibly need or sell that much weapon production. I suppose we could mothball all the factories, like we do with the mothball fleets ???? |
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