Quote:
Originally posted by phisigduchesscv
hi There,
I've worked at all three Big Japanese auto manufacturers in the US. They are all within a 10 minute drive of my house. What I remember best though is the whole Buy American movement that was happening when I was working at Nissan. There was this poster that asked what is American. Is it the Cadillac that's made in Australia, the Fords that were made in Mexico, the Nissan trucks made in Tennessee, the Hondas made in Ohio, or what. Ford and Toyota have a jointly owned plant up in Fremont, California (may be closing I believe and moving out of country) so the Fords and Toyotas that come out of there are they Japanese or American? If Ford closed everyone one of its business, affiliates and all, in the United States and just stuck with the European manufacturing it still wouldn't go bankrupt andstill be one of the major car companies in the world.
If you own a Honda check your VIN number. If it begins with a J its manufactured in Japan, if it begins with a 1 then its American made. If you own the Odyssey its only made in American so I'd consider that an American car.
The Japanese companies have been building plants all over the United States and employing hundreds of Americans to work in those plants. yet you go to Detroit and the American manufacturers are shutting down plants and laying off workers. Many of these plants manufacturing jobs are being shipped to plants overseas where its cheaper to do jobs. So which companies are truly benefiting Americans? At least with cars I don't think you can say to buy American because do we know what is an American car anymore.
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Actually ford has plants in dearborn Michigan, somewhere in kentucky (dont remember the city, but thats where my wrecked explorer was made) and cadillacs arent made in australia. GM owns a company in australia called holden i believe, one of their cars is the platform for the new pontiac gto. maybe the reason american car companies have plants in other countries is because they have operations there and they sell cars there.
also, you cant make the argument that jobs are being lost here b/c plants are moving overseas. gm and ford sales dropped 18 percent last month, i think that plays a role of people losing their jobs. for example, ford cut jobs a few years ago at one of their plants that makes trucks b/c sales fell and there was less demand, so they cut back labor. it happens to ford, GM, Toyota, honda, the business cycle is the business cycle, it doesnt matter who you are.