NBC REPORT.....US AUTO INDUSTRY AT A CROSSROADS

[SmallHurst]

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I've had my Ford ranger for 10yrs vertually trouble free. I would stand in line to buy another one anytime. Even though im a chevy guy, when i checked whats out there the ranger was best in it's class.

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But isn't your Ranger really a Mazda w/ badge engineering?

~ Pete

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Pete,

That may be the case for a lot of products (Ford Escape for instance) but it is being built in the US. As for new designs coming down the pipe for Ford, they are all coming from across the pond (Mazda and Volvo) and they are making some adaptation for North America. One of the other obstacles is the dealership experience. How many people can actually say that they like going to a dealership? I work at the Ford KC Truck plant as a supplier and I drive an Oldsmobile to work. I get to park on the back row of the parking lot (because I am a non-Ford product) and I am not the only one back there. When my car dies (137K and still going) I might buy a new Ford or Ford family product. Here is some more food for thought. All segments of Ford worldwide were in the black except for Ford of North America!

[NapsterNova]

I agree, there is a serious problem in this country. GM and Ford layoffs, CEOs ripping off companies left and right, importing steel, etc. Everything we freakin' own is foreign. I own three Chevys and quite frankly have been trouble free...except for that dang 40 year old Nova. It really breaks my heart when I hear my coworkers say that American cars are crap. I can argue facts and figures until I'm blue in the face but they just keep to their own opinion. One thing goes bad on a guys car and all of a sudden it's "crappy American car" I am sick of it! We import much more than export and it is killing our country. Sorry, I'm just disturbed over Ford’s last announcement.

[WILMASBOYL78]

It took the Japanese 60 years but they finally won the war!!

wilma

[SamLBInj]

The problem is Americans in general, its our fault, its called capitalism and Im all for it but we cant have it both ways. The American worker always wants more, more pay,less hours, more paid vacations and holidays, medical, pensions, perks, ect. The executives want more too, more stock options, bigger saleries, company cars and jets, ect, ect...Thats why a vette cost 6 grand in 1976 and 60 grand in 2006...its a domino effect that starts with the union guy who mines the iron that eventually becomes a part installed on the car by a UAW worker. This is our way of life and unless we do something drastic you will soon hear a giant vacuum sucking sound headed for China and there $2.50 an hour work force building 9K cars...

[PeteLeathersac]

Exactly....you can hear the vacuum sound already! . Part of the problem is our factories have to comply w/ enviromental and safety issues where the Chinese plants spew the bad into the air and water without penalty or cost also if a worker gets hurt they just don't have a job anymore....no work is no pay plus there's no benefits or retirement funds to cost the manufacturers either! . I think the real issue is why our governments allow these products to be sold here which is what's been taking our own manufacturers out of the game? . Look at the small town stores now....WalMart is basically an all Chinese outlet now and how can anyone compete? . The Chinese cars are soon arriving and I don't know of plans to build plants here like Toyota etc? . We're in BIG trouble and I think it's a one way river we just came down....Sh*t Creek is maybe a better name for it??? ~ Pete

[SamLBInj]

Your right, I believe our biggest problem right now is our oversized government run by idiots with zero common sense, there relatives and friends, lobbiest, contributers, ect, all haveing no clue and their only interest is the almighty buck. Halliburton comes to mind ..

[ANDY M]

For what it's worth, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda built plants here because American workers are more productive than their Japanese counterparts. If that wasn't true, they never would have invested the billions of dollars to build the plants and pay the parts suppliers to help make their AMERICAN built cars the best selling cars in the country.
Mercedes, BMW, Subaru, Mitsubishi and now Hyundai all have plants in America now.
GM bought and lost it's ass on Fiat in Italy. Same thing with Saab, which is now sharing a platform with Saturn. They also sold off their share of Fuji because it was losing too much money.
Daimler-Chrysler sold off Mitsubishi for the same reason.
They weren't making money out side of America, and they were losing money here.
Remember Iszusa? GM would like to forget what they lost on that deal. Same with Suzuki.
They are now selling more trucks and cars without the Chevy bowtie on it.
Ford would like to forget how much they lost trying to sell Kia, which seems to be selling well without a blue oval on it.
For what American automotive exectives are being paid, they sure have a spotty track record, but yet the top execs still get paid more than rock stars do.
No comparison between the union wages and the top execs salaries with perks.
JMO

[PeteLeathersac]

I have no problem w/ what name goes on anything as long as what we buy is manufactured here in North America. . It's the stuff that's made offshore that's screwing things up! . I'm not connected enough to know what the import-export ratios are now compared to in the past but expect that would shine some light on what's happening? . Sounds like a question someone from Vandelay Industries might be able to answer??? ~ Pete

[SamLBInj]

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For what it's worth, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda built plants here because American workers are more productive than their Japanese counterparts. If that wasn't true, they never would have invested the billions of dollars to build the plants and pay the parts suppliers to help make their AMERICAN built cars the best selling cars in the country.


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Politics...Its not cheaper to build here its the import taxes that create problems for them, they sidestep by creating the so and so America company, grease the politicians hands and whalla, instant tax breaks and incentives for opening the factory's in repressed areas and nice little tariff import breaks for their sister company in the Motherland....

[SamLBInj]

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I have no problem w/ what name goes on anything as long as what we buy is manufactured here in North America. . It's the stuff that's made offshore that's screwing things up! . I'm not connected enough to know what the import-export ratios are now compared to in the past but expect that would shine some light on what's happening? . Sounds like a question someone from Vandelay Industries might be able to answer??? ~ Pete

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Ever shop at Walmart? 95% of there stuff is from China...