Simple solution, my FRiend. Put Melania behind your wheel, and watch your car grow a pair of fins on its own. VaROOM, VaROOM :-)
Posted on 01/15/2017 3:20:00 PM PST by RC one
It used to be pretty obvious which cars, trucks and SUVs were built in the U.S. (Detroit's Big Three of Ford, GM and Chrysler, although Chrysler has since merged with Fiat) and which weren't (everything else). Then in the 1980's the Japanese started building cars here, which made for some interesting arguments about what constituted an 'American' car. But in today's global economy, it's even harder to answer the question: Is your car made in America?
Many consumers looking to buy an American-built vehicle have a difficult time identifying one that's assembled here with 100-percent American-built components. That's because it's impossible, at least if talking about buying a car from the major carmakers.
Made In U.S.A. (Partly)
For example, while Jeep's Patriot may have been built in Belvidere, Ill., its transmissions originate in Mexico, Japan and Germany. Similarly, Ford's Michigan-assembled Mustang may be as American as mom, Marines, and apple pie, but its transmissions have originated in China, France, the U.K., and Mexico. GM, meanwhile, builds its Chevy Camaro in Canada and its GMC Sierra pickup in Mexico.
Confusing? Yes. But that's the tip of the proverbial iceberg. BMWs are now built in the U.S. and so are some Mercedes vehicles (in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Vance, Alabama, respectively). With Japanese carmakers having established multiple assembly plants across the U.S., and American car companies operating plants in Canada and Mexico lines are blurred further.
So what makes a car American? It's a rancorous debate that's sure to rumble on, but consumers can make up their own minds based on information that's appeared on the Monroney labels (window stickers) of every new car for sale for years. This states where the vehicle was assembled and where the engine and transmission originated.
Mark Birmingham, an industry analyst at the Center for Automotive Research, said consumers who want to buy American primarily should look at where the vehicle is assembled, as often that indicates a large presence beyond manufacturing.
"There is something to be said for buying what we once called 'Big Three' product," he said, "in the sense that all of the administrative, development and white-collar work is indirectly supported."
Who Builds What Where?
Ford's Fusion, Fiesta, and Lincoln MKZ models have been assembled in Mexico, while the Edge, Flex, Lincoln MKX, and Lincoln MKT have been built in Canada. Other North American models are built in the U.S.
According to NHTSA documents, Ford's compact Focus has been assembled in Wayne, Mich., with 90 percent of its parts sourced from the U.S. and Canada, but its transmission originates in Germany. While the Taurus is assembled in Chicago, Ill., only about 65 percent of its parts are of U.S. origin. But its engine and transmission are both built in the U.S.
The F-Series pickup truck is assembled in Kansas City, Missouri, and Dearborn, Michigan, but with just 55 percent of parts made in the U.S. or Canada. More than 15 percent of its parts come from Mexico, although all of its engines and both transmission systems are built in the U.S. Some transmissions for the Mustang (assembled in Flat Rock, Michigan) have come from China.
GM vehicles assembled in Canada include Chevrolet's Camaro, Equinox and Impala and the GMC Terrain, while vehicles built in Mexico have included Cadillac's SRX and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet's Silverado and GMC's Sierra. GM vehicles built in the U.S. include Buick's LaCrosse, Lucerne and Enclave, Cadillac's CTS, Chevrolet's Cruze, Corvette, Malibu and Tahoe, and GMC's Yukon.
According to figures from IHS Global Insight, of the GM vehicles assembled domestically, several Corvette engines are built in Canada, with several transmission variants originating in Mexico. Its Chevrolet Silverado (assembled in Fort Wayne, Indiana) carries U.S.-built engines across all models, but several transmissions are built in Mexico. For the Cadillac CTS assembled in Lansing, Mich., several engines originate in Canada and Mexico, and the transmissions for various models in the CTS range come from Japan, France, Mexico, and the U.S. Some engines for GM's Chevrolet Cruze, assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, come from Szentgotthard, Hungary.
Chrysler says about 61 percent of the components it uses for its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lines come from the U.S., while about 20 percent come from Mexico and Latin America, about 10 percent from Canada and just under 10 percent from the rest of the world. It maintains large production facilities across the U.S., but also builds its 300 and Dodge Challenger and Charger in Canada, and the (now discontinued) PT Cruiser in Mexico.
Of the Big Three's foreign competition, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Kia all proudly trumpet their domestic-built credentials. (Honda was the first Japanese carmaker to build a car plant in the U.S., in Marysville, Ohio, in 1979, and more Honda vehicles are now built in the U.S. than in Japan.) Toyota builds its Camry and Avalon models in Georgetown, Kentucky, its Sienna and Highlander in Princeton, Indiana, and has large plants in Huntsville, Alabama, and San Antonio, Texas. Hyundai builds the Sonata and Elantra in Montgomery, Alabama, and shares a plant in West Point, Georgia, with Kia.
Nissan and VW both have longstanding ties to Mexico, with plants in Aguascalientes and Cuernavaca (Nissan) and Puebla (VW). Nissan assembles its small cars like the Versa in Mexico and its larger truck and SUV lines in Smyrna, Georgia. VW imports all of its vehicles into the U.S., though it has recently opened a new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee for assembly of the Passat sedan and assembly of a new SUV, the Atlas.
Mercedes-Benz assembles its large crossovers in Vance, Alabama, with a U.S./Canadian parts content of 62 percent, but both engines and transmissions are unsurprisingly sourced from Germany. BMW, meanwhile, assembles its X-series SUVs in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with mostly German componentry.
It's a little surprising that some excellent automotive products are born of such a mix and muddle of production systems. But today's intertwined global economy – and car market – ensures that no matter where it comes from, today's cars mostly are built to high standards. Otherwise, Americans wouldn't buy them.
My only concern is the long term of funding social security and medicare. Those bombs are going to drop some day and it looks like it will be right about when I’m looking to retire. I’m concerned that people are going to get hurt if the tax base isn’t expanded somehow. Increasing the number of people with good paying jobs is the absolute best solution to the problem and that’s why we have elected Donald Trump.
These, and many other, great American classics had TRUE personality! Not like the ugly garbage passing for “style” today. Plus, the new cars all basically look alike. Sorry for those of you with late-model cars. I’m sure they’re better in many other ways.
My wife has been complaining about the “style” of today’s cars for a long time. She complains everything looks the same and wishes cars would be made with “fins” again.
My ‘66 Mustang was my first vehicle. I was a freshman in high school in the 70’s and it was a broken down wreck. I worked to save up for parts, and worked on the car and got it running during the summer of my junior year.
I love the Camaro and the Mustang because I love working on these cars when needed. I can easily get parts and they look and feel darn good.
So basically you support unions, just not American ones.
(IG Metall, JAW, etc...)
How many jobs would be gained if we stopped importing from Mexico and repatriated industry in the good ole USA? Hmmm?
Even if these unions are also enemies of this country (distinctly possible) I have a particular problem with *domestic* enemies.
PS you can find a lot of non union cars made in the USA. Toyotas and Hondas for instance.
I am no fan of unions but I want ALL manufacturing back even the union made manufacturing. We are dying as a country. It has to stop.
The good news is that 90% of manufacturing in the USA is done by non union workers. 90%.
It's certainly a mixed bag. Trade has lowered our cost of living, which is a good thing.
If we stopped buy clothes manufactured in Asia, then you kiss 50% of retail stores goodbye. Most of the income in the clothing section goes to play employees, not the clothes which are purchased for probably 1/10th of final price you pay.
But manufacturing and construction drives a ton of other jobs for parts, equipment, steel, transportation, etc. So there's a wonderful multiplier effect if you can keep manufacturing inside the country.
Trump, he da' man with da' rust belt plan...
I’m talking about cars made for the Japanese market made by Japanese carmakers .
I’m talking about cars made for the Japanese market made by Japanese carmakers IN Japan .
Simple solution, my FRiend. Put Melania behind your wheel, and watch your car grow a pair of fins on its own. VaROOM, VaROOM :-)
Explorers, built in Chicago. Not sure about what % of parts from where.
I have had a Hyundai Santa Fe that was proudly built near Montgomery, Alabama, and a Chevy S10 that was built in Canada. So go figure. More American working people had a stake in the Hyundai than in the Chevy.
That’s why I was careful to say “assembled”. #;^)
I see your point, yet I’d hate to see American companies like Ford and Harley go under just to spite unions. To me, that’s like “the operation was successful, but the patient died.” Your results may vary.
The “some transmissions” means manual transmissions in the case of the Mustang. Do you know of any automobile manufacturer that produces their own manual transmission? Typically they’re made by a specialized company like Tremec, New Process or Borg Warner.
Reminds me of a favorite photo on FR showing a Harley Davidson part with “Made in Japan” on the packaging. But the part was a carburetor. As if even Honda made their own carburetors.
You realize that until the “Great Recession” GM alone directly employed more Americans than all foreign car companies combined, right?
(I’m not sure of the statistic now, but I can’t imagine it shifting all that much. Other than probably can’t say “all” anymore.)
Some current numbers. These are direct American employees (assembly, drivetrain, stamping, casting and tooling plants, research and design facilities, U.S. headquarters, testing grounds—does not include part suppliers or dealerships)
Turns out the big three employ about half of what they did before the recession, and the foreign companies are gaining, so my previous anecdotal statistic is no longer valid.
GM - 77,000
Ford - 65,000
Mopar - 36,000
Toyota - 30,000
Honda - 26,000
Nissan - 10,000
Hyundai/Kia - 8,000
Trying to find the German figures, but it’s getting tedious. Looks like BMW is around 8,000 but can’t find Mercedes or Volkswagen.
Anyway, it’s a combined 178,000 American directly employed by the big three vs 74,000 for Americans directly employed by Asian auto manufacturers.
I guess I could say that GM employs more Americans directly than all of the Asian car companies combined. Just no longer true when you add in the Germans since GM employs about half of the people they did 10 years ago.
In 1969 there were 1.5 million UAW members. I think the dragon has been slain. We are now throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana's death.
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whiskey, (check the bottle before you change the spelling) followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by an American, using Bill Gates's technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that use Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....
That, my friends, is Globalization.
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