Americans Acting Like Americans Again

[asterism]

I'm just really happy to see the Big Three gaining in sales while Toyota is losing. Every American should be driving an American brand car.

HAHAHAAAA!
Can't say American MADE car..only American BRAND car...is that what the smoke filled union hall slogan is now?

No....but being an American one should want to be patriotic enough to buy American, right?

Only if it's good quality for a fair price. I don't think American branded cars made in foreign plants are as good as foreign branded cars made in American plants.

 

[william the wie]

I support my local economy and buy cars built in the south.

 

[daveman]

I support my local economy and buy cars built in the south.

When I retire, I want to build my own:

 

[hortysir]

Yes, Toyota's regulator is also their competitor.

What a concept.

In Ingrish, por favor?

Toyota's competitor = Government Motors
Toyota's regulator = Government

Got it?


c-a-t spells cat
Anything else?

 

[WillowTree]

Americans make Toyota in America. I'm happy and Proud to drive a Toyota. Best car ever put on the road. The unions can kiss my ass.

 

[WillowTree]

Yes, Toyota's regulator is also their competitor.

What a concept.

In Ingrish, por favor?

Toyota's competitor = Government Motors
Toyota's regulator = Government

Got it?


c-a-t spells cat
Anything else?

You must speak ever so slowly for DUmmies.

 

[loosecannon]

But Toyata was the only one targeted in a world wide smear campaign after just recently surpassing GM as world sales leader.

There is plenty of time to sabotage Honda and the other chinkmobile mannys when they threaten American auto hegemony.

.

No way. Toyota had just eclipsed GM as the worlds leading automaker, the Feds took a stake in GM and Chrysler and within a month Toyota was slammed with endless media derision over a defect that didn't exist.

NOT a coincidence.

These are the recalls Toyota endured just in 2010 after only 3 recalls in the previous 3 years:

# Jan 21, 2010 – US: 2.3 million Toyota vehicles recalled due to faulty accelerator pedals[6] (of those, 2.1 million already involved in floor mat recall).[3]
# Jan 27, 2010 – US: 1.1 million Toyotas added to amended floor mat recall.[30]
# Jan 29, 2010 – Europe, China: 1.8 million Toyotas added to faulty accelerator pedal recall.[7]
# Feb 08, 2010 – Worldwide: 436,000 hybrid vehicles in brake recall following 200 reports of Prius brake glitches.[2]
# Feb 08, 2010 – US: 7,300 MY 2010 Camry vehicles recalled over potential brake tube problems.[31]
# Feb 12, 2010 – US: 8,000 MY 2010 4WD Tacoma pick-up trucks recalled over concerns about possible defective front drive shafts.[32]
# Apr 16, 2010 – US: 600,000 MY 1998–2010 Sienna minivans for possible corrosion of spare tire carrier cable.[33]
# Apr 19, 2010 – World: 21,000 MY 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and 13,000 Lexus GX 460 SUV's recalled to reprogram the stability control system.[34][35]
# Apr 28, 2010 – US: 50,000 MY 2003 Toyota Sequoia recalled to reprogram the stability control system.[36]
# May 21, 2010 – Japan: 4,509, US: 7,000 MY 2010 LS for steering system software update[37]
# July 5, 2010 – World: 270,000 Crown and Lexus models for valve springs with potential production issue.[38]
# July 29, 2010 – US: 412,000 Avalons and LX 470s for replacement of steering column components.[39]
# August 28, 2010 – US & Canada: approximately 1.13 million Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles produced between 2005 and 2008 for Engine Control Modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured.

concerning the investigation of the recalls:

Numerous investigations have taken place, including those by the U.S. NHTSA and Japanese transport ministry.[96] The difficulty of investigations is compounded by the fact that driver error can be a possibility in certain cases. The Wall Street Journal reported, "Even when dealers and auto makers suspect driver error, it is difficult for them to outright blame their customers for fear of alienating them or appearing insensitive",[21] which USA Today also suggested.[97] Questions about why cases are mainly in the U.S. have also been raised by international investigations; German publication Der Spiegel reported that similar accidents have rarely occurred outside North America, and although there have been some reports of stuck Toyota gas pedals in Germany, all drivers braked successfully without loss of life

2009?2010 Toyota vehicle recalls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Meanwhile Ford allowed the pinto to stay on the road for years after numerous deaths had occurred due to the location of the gas tank, and Ford also allowed millions of defective ignition switches to remain in use long after they knew that they were causing vehicle fires. And Ford never did recall the rear brake shoes from the Ford ranger even tho they were known to be failing at an unacceptable rate.

 

[william the wie]

Americans should buy American made cars Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and so on.

 

[loosecannon]

the big 4 or the the big 7?

 

[william the wie]

the big 4 or the the big 7?

Ford seems likely to survive but Chrysler and GM will not survive the next step down.

 

[loosecannon]

GM is fully transnational while Chrysler is owned by Fiat. I can't believe Fiat has survived this long.

GM is a sure thing to last into the next decade, not so sure about Chrysler/Fiat.

 

[william the wie]

GM is fully transnational while Chrysler is owned by Fiat. I can't believe Fiat has survived this long.

GM is a sure thing to last into the next decade, not so sure about Chrysler/Fiat.

With the Canadian RE bubble busting I would not count on that.

 

[loosecannon]

Well China kills American industries faster than Japanese firms ever did. So maybe you got me.

But in the midrange GM is a solid. Sales are improving products are too, pockets and intellectual capital still deep.

How badly does GM want survival?

 

[william the wie]

Well China kills American industries faster than Japanese firms ever did. So maybe you got me.

But in the midrange GM is a solid. Sales are improving products are too, pockets and intellectual capital still deep.

How badly does GM want survival?

I don't know. But GM is one bankruptcy away from being unable to borrow at any interest rate. Also tension between current workers and UAW retirees is increasing. Something is going to give and I suspect that Fix It Again Tony at Chrysler will be the catalyst.

 

[DaGoose]

I'm just really happy to see the Big Three gaining in sales while Toyota is losing. Every American should be driving an American brand car.

But is it really an American car?

Today, some 75 years since the Model T made Ford a global monolith, the lines between domestic and foreign automakers are so blurred as to be virtually indistinguishable. A global GM is importing an Australian Holden model (the basis for the Pontiac G8) and a German Opel model (the basis for the Saturn Aura). Meanwhile, we have the omnipotent Toyota producing trucks in both Texas and Indiana, Honda with a vast presence in Ohio and Ontario, Canada and the Koreans opening plants in both Alabama (Hyundai) and Georgia (Kia, in 2009).

Adding to the mix (and confusion) is how U.S. consumers define "American." Following the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), both Canada and Mexico have grown in importance to the U.S. marketplace. Detroit's presence in Canada is well established (and precedes NAFTA), but the free trade agreement opened a wave of investment south of our border; much of that production is directed back to the U.S. and Canada.

For example, Chrysler's retro PT Cruiser may recall American cars of the prewar era, but it's produced at a Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 35 percent of the PT Cruiser's content is sourced in the U.S. or Canada. The "American" Ford Fusion contains just 30-percent U.S./Canadian content, whereas the competing "Japanese" Honda Accord contains 70 percent, Nissan Altima 65 percent and Toyota Camry 80 percent.

Conversely, the all-new Toyota Tundra (engineered in the U.S. and produced at Toyota's newest manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas) is as wholly American as any Japanese vehicle has been to date. In conjunction with the Tundra's rollout is an intensified marketing campaign to paint Toyota as a wholly American company. The campaign includes macho TV ads whose gruff-voiced narrator sounds as if he just walked off the cattle farm. And it's reinforced by Toyota dealers throughout the country, including one in North Texas that hung its Tundra from a crane, draped with a "Made in America" banner.​

Your "American-made" car may be employing more non-Americans than Americans. Is your goal the employment of Americans, or the employment of union members?

"The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car...."

"By buying a Big Three car, Americans would be making the clearest statement they can of their faith in our nation’s private enterprise system, our workers, and our economic future. That’s not a Democratic or Republican idea, that’s a “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie” American idea."

The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car - Opinion - Press and Guide

 

[asterism]

I'm just really happy to see the Big Three gaining in sales while Toyota is losing. Every American should be driving an American brand car.

But is it really an American car?

Today, some 75 years since the Model T made Ford a global monolith, the lines between domestic and foreign automakers are so blurred as to be virtually indistinguishable. A global GM is importing an Australian Holden model (the basis for the Pontiac G8) and a German Opel model (the basis for the Saturn Aura). Meanwhile, we have the omnipotent Toyota producing trucks in both Texas and Indiana, Honda with a vast presence in Ohio and Ontario, Canada and the Koreans opening plants in both Alabama (Hyundai) and Georgia (Kia, in 2009).

Adding to the mix (and confusion) is how U.S. consumers define "American." Following the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), both Canada and Mexico have grown in importance to the U.S. marketplace. Detroit's presence in Canada is well established (and precedes NAFTA), but the free trade agreement opened a wave of investment south of our border; much of that production is directed back to the U.S. and Canada.

For example, Chrysler's retro PT Cruiser may recall American cars of the prewar era, but it's produced at a Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 35 percent of the PT Cruiser's content is sourced in the U.S. or Canada. The "American" Ford Fusion contains just 30-percent U.S./Canadian content, whereas the competing "Japanese" Honda Accord contains 70 percent, Nissan Altima 65 percent and Toyota Camry 80 percent.

Conversely, the all-new Toyota Tundra (engineered in the U.S. and produced at Toyota's newest manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas) is as wholly American as any Japanese vehicle has been to date. In conjunction with the Tundra's rollout is an intensified marketing campaign to paint Toyota as a wholly American company. The campaign includes macho TV ads whose gruff-voiced narrator sounds as if he just walked off the cattle farm. And it's reinforced by Toyota dealers throughout the country, including one in North Texas that hung its Tundra from a crane, draped with a "Made in America" banner.​

Your "American-made" car may be employing more non-Americans than Americans. Is your goal the employment of Americans, or the employment of union members?

"The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car...."

"By buying a Big Three car, Americans would be making the clearest statement they can of their faith in our nation’s private enterprise system, our workers, and our economic future. That’s not a Democratic or Republican idea, that’s a “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie” American idea."

The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car - Opinion - Press and Guide

Is it really patriotic to buy an expensive substandard product subsidized by government cronyism? Seems to be rewarding failure and irresponsibly allowing them to be less competitive to me, and that is what caused the whole GM debacle in the first place.

 

[editec]

I'm planning on buying a US manufactured car next time round.

I bought a Ranger Truck, only to discover later that it was really a Jap truck with a Ford placard on it.

Of course I don't fault people for buying foreign cars, but buying American when possible (and it often is not possible) seems to least I can do for the nation that has been so good to me.

 

[midcan5]

Imagine how many more jobs would be in America if Saturn and Pontiac still existed. Weird how Americans cry about the state of the economy but individually hurt it.

repost ================================

'Join me, please this labor day weekend'

I was riding home today after a middle distance bicycle ride, tired and a bit out of shape when I started counting cars, America - foreign, American - foreign. It occurred to me if only a small percentage of these people, the people who can afford more than a used clunker, bought American there would be no problems in one of our largest industries today. And lots of people would have a job and lots of businesses would be OK. May even help those incompetent bankers.

So I started giving thumbs up for American and thumbs down for foreign. Hard to distinguish which foreign car is made here, but no need I am a bit of a hard core American when it comes to cars. My '55' Chevy was my first love.

I'm sure the people thought me spastic, as my left hand thumb pointed up, then down, then up as cars drove by. Did anyone figure it out I wondered. Who is this nut! So if the whiners who lost the election can out of the blue, protest taxes, can we not protest something that has been going on for years due to cheaper prices, support structures, and no pensions, but still is having an insidious affect on our industrial base?

So if you own foreign go to you nearest mirror and give yourself a thumbs down, and if you own American and thus support all of us and America, a thumbs up is due and thank you. Take to the streets and express yourself. The bankers thank you too.

Oh, and my bicycle is made in America too.

 

[DaGoose]

But is it really an American car?

Today, some 75 years since the Model T made Ford a global monolith, the lines between domestic and foreign automakers are so blurred as to be virtually indistinguishable. A global GM is importing an Australian Holden model (the basis for the Pontiac G8) and a German Opel model (the basis for the Saturn Aura). Meanwhile, we have the omnipotent Toyota producing trucks in both Texas and Indiana, Honda with a vast presence in Ohio and Ontario, Canada and the Koreans opening plants in both Alabama (Hyundai) and Georgia (Kia, in 2009).

Adding to the mix (and confusion) is how U.S. consumers define "American." Following the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), both Canada and Mexico have grown in importance to the U.S. marketplace. Detroit's presence in Canada is well established (and precedes NAFTA), but the free trade agreement opened a wave of investment south of our border; much of that production is directed back to the U.S. and Canada.

For example, Chrysler's retro PT Cruiser may recall American cars of the prewar era, but it's produced at a Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 35 percent of the PT Cruiser's content is sourced in the U.S. or Canada. The "American" Ford Fusion contains just 30-percent U.S./Canadian content, whereas the competing "Japanese" Honda Accord contains 70 percent, Nissan Altima 65 percent and Toyota Camry 80 percent.

Conversely, the all-new Toyota Tundra (engineered in the U.S. and produced at Toyota's newest manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas) is as wholly American as any Japanese vehicle has been to date. In conjunction with the Tundra's rollout is an intensified marketing campaign to paint Toyota as a wholly American company. The campaign includes macho TV ads whose gruff-voiced narrator sounds as if he just walked off the cattle farm. And it's reinforced by Toyota dealers throughout the country, including one in North Texas that hung its Tundra from a crane, draped with a "Made in America" banner.​

Your "American-made" car may be employing more non-Americans than Americans. Is your goal the employment of Americans, or the employment of union members?

"The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car...."

"By buying a Big Three car, Americans would be making the clearest statement they can of their faith in our nation’s private enterprise system, our workers, and our economic future. That’s not a Democratic or Republican idea, that’s a “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie” American idea."

The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car - Opinion - Press and Guide

Is it really patriotic to buy an expensive substandard product subsidized by government cronyism? Seems to be rewarding failure and irresponsibly allowing them to be less competitive to me, and that is what caused the whole GM debacle in the first place.

Yes it is more patriotic. But it also makes good economic sense when American cars are every bit as good (and in a lot of cases better) as Japanese (yes, they are), employ more Americans (directly and through supporting industries) and pay more taxes to the US treasury.

 

[daveman]

I'm just really happy to see the Big Three gaining in sales while Toyota is losing. Every American should be driving an American brand car.

But is it really an American car?

Today, some 75 years since the Model T made Ford a global monolith, the lines between domestic and foreign automakers are so blurred as to be virtually indistinguishable. A global GM is importing an Australian Holden model (the basis for the Pontiac G8) and a German Opel model (the basis for the Saturn Aura). Meanwhile, we have the omnipotent Toyota producing trucks in both Texas and Indiana, Honda with a vast presence in Ohio and Ontario, Canada and the Koreans opening plants in both Alabama (Hyundai) and Georgia (Kia, in 2009).

Adding to the mix (and confusion) is how U.S. consumers define "American." Following the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), both Canada and Mexico have grown in importance to the U.S. marketplace. Detroit's presence in Canada is well established (and precedes NAFTA), but the free trade agreement opened a wave of investment south of our border; much of that production is directed back to the U.S. and Canada.

For example, Chrysler's retro PT Cruiser may recall American cars of the prewar era, but it's produced at a Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), only 35 percent of the PT Cruiser's content is sourced in the U.S. or Canada. The "American" Ford Fusion contains just 30-percent U.S./Canadian content, whereas the competing "Japanese" Honda Accord contains 70 percent, Nissan Altima 65 percent and Toyota Camry 80 percent.

Conversely, the all-new Toyota Tundra (engineered in the U.S. and produced at Toyota's newest manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas) is as wholly American as any Japanese vehicle has been to date. In conjunction with the Tundra's rollout is an intensified marketing campaign to paint Toyota as a wholly American company. The campaign includes macho TV ads whose gruff-voiced narrator sounds as if he just walked off the cattle farm. And it's reinforced by Toyota dealers throughout the country, including one in North Texas that hung its Tundra from a crane, draped with a "Made in America" banner.​

Your "American-made" car may be employing more non-Americans than Americans. Is your goal the employment of Americans, or the employment of union members?

"The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car...."

"By buying a Big Three car, Americans would be making the clearest statement they can of their faith in our nation’s private enterprise system, our workers, and our economic future. That’s not a Democratic or Republican idea, that’s a “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie” American idea."

The Good Word: Real patriotism - Buying a quality new American made car - Opinion - Press and Guide

Got it. You don't give a damn about supporting non-union Americans; you just want union members employed.

Did it ever occur to you that the unions are the reason so many Big 3 automobiles are made overseas?

No. It probably didn't.