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

[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]

[ QUOTE ]
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...

[Mr. T]

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

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I agree Sam, and I'll bet that someday soon, that 100% of all the items at Walmart will be China or whatever country imports. I am getting real tired of picking something up at Walmart or any other store, and not seeing "MADE IN THE USA".

[ANDY M]

BTW It was H Ross Pirot who coined the phrase "that giant sucking sound..." about American automakers building plants in Mexico for cheap Mexican labor.
There are many Chevy trucks proudly made in Mexico.
The new giant sucking sound is the USA accepting more and more illegal Mexican and Central American workers who are more than happy to do the menial labor that we are above doing ourselves.
More Mexicans came here than jobs that were lost to Mexico, not to mention the quality control nightmires that some manufacturers had.
Think about that the next time you have a salad or sleep on clean sheets in a hotel.
People all over the world are trying to get onto this country. Even if it is being run by crooked politicians.
(Asses and Elephants)
Point is there is no solution to this problem.
There are no simple solutions for anything that involves global economics, and all car companies are global.

[SamLBInj]

If you have an American Standard toilet lift the tank lid and see what it says....Made in Brazil or Made in Mexico..That tells the story right there...

[SamLBInj]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree Sam, and I'll bet that someday soon, that 100% of all the items at Walmart will be China or whatever country imports. I am getting real tired of picking something up at Walmart or any other store, and not seeing "MADE IN THE USA".

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I have a friend and we were talking the other day, he is a partner in a company that manufactures toilets, it cost them 48.00 bucks to make them here and they were just making enough to survive so they went to China and opened a factory. It now costs them 12.00 bucks and they are making loads of cash. They still sell them retail for 200.00. Its all about making the shareholders happy and maximizing profits..Were do you stand on this? making your American workers happy and driving a Yugo or hiring cheap China labor and having a stable of ZL-1's and Hemi's...?

[SamLBInj]

[ QUOTE ]
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....