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Vinsanity---That was a spectacular assessment of the predicament that the Detroit Three are still hobbled by the UAW--nicely done.
Your assertion that the Detroit Three have been hamstrung by beancounters for at least three decades is the absolute truth, since most of the cars which simultaneously wowed both American consumers and the folks at auto enthusiast magazines such as Motor Trend and Car & Driver.
Mazda, Toyota, Honda & Nissan repeatedly produced terrific cars starting in the 1970s that consumers couldn't get enough of, yet cars that Detroit couldn't compete due to almost-nonexistent R&D budgets which had been obliterated by their legacy costs.
I prefer to purchase cars that are built and assembled in the USA and from one of the big three American manufactures. I would not feel right as an American to purchase a car from a foreign manufacture when I can support my country.
I care where the car is made, not the nationality of the brand. GM, Ford and Chrysler do not buy American themselves so I can't see any point in helping the corporation. I do see value in buying a car that was assembled by an American citizen.
As for the GM, Ford and Chrysler buying American, I work in software and when these companies bought their ERP software, they bought SAP (German), not Oracle or Microsoft, both American...
Basically the big 3 have just sued the buy american to support theire failure to prodcue new cars of quailty for years now. Bascially it a global market palce as even their investments have shown.They basicallt domestically are goig to be a very small aprt of a growing global automaker business with Korea and now China enterig the markets. They use to whine about japan just the same whilke putting out junk cars.
As for the GM, Ford and Chrysler buying American, I work in software and when these companies bought their ERP software, they bought SAP (German), not Oracle or Microsoft, both American...
SAP has lots of employees in the USA and all over the world. The question is, what ERP software is better for the company, not where the software has been made. By the way, thousands of German companies have Microsoft software, or Oracle, or IBM, or whatever. We have the good situation that we can chose from the very best from all around the world. What would be the benefit to buy Oracle software, if this doesn't fit to the companies workflow or the price was too high?
So why set up imaginary boundaries?
The problem again is, that we have to compete with others by quality, price and service not by just saying "made in usa". Otherwise the economy becomes less and less competitive. Same with the Air Force tankers (Airbus EADS certainly has the better product, Boeing will get the deal with their old 767 aircrafts). Same with cars, same with software and same with any other thing.
There was a time, American cars weren't competitve at all, some years ago. Many customers shifted to Toyota, Nissan or any other foreign brand like BMW or whatever. That lead to high research, engineering and inventions at GM, Ford and Chrysler, the companies were in a way desperatly in need to produce something competitive. And voila, newer 2010/2011 American cars are pretty good. Without competition and free customer decisions, that would not have happend.
Here is what must be considered.
GM and Chrysler's bankruptcy affected thousands of US workers.
a Toyota/HOnda bankruptcy would not affect America very much aside from a few plants. Thats the difference. whats beneficial to a US based company is beneficial to America. Whats beneficial to a local population serving a plant from a foreign automaker is NOT beneficial to America in general, only to those few employed. This kind of attitude is why Toyota can make garbage cars and get away with it.
Here is what must be considered.
GM and Chrysler's bankruptcy affected thousands of US workers.
a Toyota/HOnda bankruptcy would not affect America very much aside from a few plants. Thats the difference. whats beneficial to a US based company is beneficial to America. Whats beneficial to a local population serving a plant from a foreign automaker is NOT beneficial to America in general, only to those few employed. This kind of attitude is why Toyota can make garbage cars and get away with it.
No, isn't that attitude why GM, Ford, and Chrysler tried to get away with making garbage cars for 20 years? Because they convinced us once upon a time that "what's good for GM [and the other two] is good for America"? It'd be nice if that were true anymore, but thankfully we now know better.
Here is what must be considered.
GM and Chrysler's bankruptcy affected thousands of US workers.
a Toyota/HOnda bankruptcy would not affect America very much aside from a few plants. Thats the difference. whats beneficial to a US based company is beneficial to America. Whats beneficial to a local population serving a plant from a foreign automaker is NOT beneficial to America in general, only to those few employed. This kind of attitude is why Toyota can make garbage cars and get away with it.
Certainly, if Toyota and Honda went away, it would affect a LOT of people. We would have to put up with very mediocre American vehicles as the Big 3 would have little incentive to produce a car that the consumer wants.
Yeah what about the plants in Canada, Mexico, etc these"American" brands have? Hell Chrysler is owned by Fiat!
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