Posted on 01/13/2009 10:41:37 AM PST by Red Badger
As we all know by now, auto sales are down, dropping by around 18% in 2008. Pick-ups actually fared worse, posting a decline of 26.5% over the same period. Still, the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado maintained their positions as the two best selling vehicles in the United States, and these two manufacturers managed to post incremental increases in total pick-up truck market share after all was said and done.
Those increases came directly from the competition, especially Dodge. The full-size Ram truck managed to see its piece of the pie dwindle by almost one full percentage point. Dodge's drop in overall market share allowed Toyota, for the first time ever, to grab the bronze medal behind Ford and General Motors. However, it's not particularly good news for the Japanese upstart, which owns just 8.52% of the market after seeing Tundra sales fall by over 30% in '08 and well short of its stated goal of 200,000 units per year. The last place trophy goes to Nissan, as its 34,000 sales represent a meager 2.11% of the market.
These market share figures include both full-sizers and their smaller brethren, and it was the Toyota Tacoma and the aging Ford Ranger that made the biggest upward moves among the mid-size pick-ups. Again, the biggest loser award goes to Dodge, which saw its Dakota sales fall nearly 65%, and its Mitsubishi Raider stablemate, which posted an insignificant 2,900 total sales.
Perhaps, I am a little harsh here, but I am sick of hearing how American cars are crap and foreign cars are so great. I have seen the quality reports on Tundra...they should have stuck to small cars. Let’s just say, I hope you all have good warranties.
didn’t think you were joking. bottom line is the toyota’s seem to run forever.
If an American owns shares in a company that makes a profit, then the value of his shares is going to increase. It doesn't matter whether that company's headquarters are in Tokya, Munich or Detroit.
The path to socialist hellholism goes through bailouts, we’re engaging in socialism to save your company. GM screwed themselves. What’s unAmerican is thinking we should buy crappy products just because the company that makes it (not in America) is supposedly American. Buy quality, buy what fits your needs, don’t worry about who makes it. I buy American when it’s the best product for me, I buy not American when it’s the best product for me.
After owning several Ford full size commercial grade products, you couldn’t pay me enough money to take any other brand in that segment.
F & E Series are without equal in the industry, period.
UAW workers aren’t Americans, as far as I am concerned.
They vote for Obama. They can go to hell.
My neighbor, and very good friend says the same about his F150.
I don’t need a ‘work truck’ however, so thats not a big deal to me. Light towing, as noted above, is about it.
I’m more concerned about head/leg room, mpg, and reliability.
I’d like to see another mfg buy the truck division-even Kia or Hyndai, but anyone who buys a business with UAW plants or contracts is putting a gun to their head. Too bad. Maybe they can buy the business and move production to the south (well for at least as long as the south is\are still “right to work states”).
I sold the first one (a ‘97) with 168K+ miles on it! Still running and pulling with all four tires!
I bought an ‘01 and have 76K miles on it, and hope to drive it another 100K or so!
The best selling car in China is a Buick (made in China) that they don’t sell here in the US.
Read that again. That’s not a US-made Buick. They don’t even offer that model here in the US.
Not even the Chinese want to buy UAW-made products.
I don’t hate things made in America. Its just that American unions make shoddy, second-rate goods that I have to pay first rate prices for the privilege of being allowed to buy, whereupon my money goes to elect Obama. No thanks.
There are many Darwin awards to be had when dealing with the public. I particularly like the folks that chase the bears to get their pictures....sometimes with their kids! And the sow with cubs no less!
(Not joking.)
Not joking, just wrong.
My F-150 was built in Kansas City.
Ford F-150s are primary assembled in Cuautitlan, Mexico.
I don't have the unit totals but it looks like they are assembled in the following factories:
Cuautitlan (Mexico)
Claycomo, Missouri (Kansas City)
Norfolk, Virginia
Oakville, Ontario (Canada)
Valencia (Venuzeula)
Mine was built at Claycomo (Kansas City)
I suspect that is the order of units produced.
The ones in South America make a “F-200” or somesuch that is actually the F-150 of 10 years ago.
(I was a semi-major stockholder of Ford some years ago, and still get all their prospectus (prospecti?)).
I suspect it is alphabetical...
My initial research shows that the new F-150 is made in Dearborn and Kansas City, NOT Mexico.
“I suspect it is alphabetical.”
Only if “u” comes before “l” in your universe.
Cuautitlan (Mexico)
Claycomo
Umm, Claycomo is referred to as the Kansas City plant
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