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I'm almost 50 and my generation will probably be the last to have experienced domestic auto makers absolutely dominating the US market at any point during their lifetime and I was a young child at that time.
At least they'll still get to see American pickups dominate the market.
I certainly don't. Japanese cars, even the ones made in the USA are superior in every way. The Japanese not only have better engineering and quality control, they are not saddled with the albatross of the UAW around their necks.
Hyundai/Kia have exceeded the quality of the lesser Japanese makes and are fast approaching the quality of Toyota and Honda.
It's no wonder Ford is running away from the sedan business as fast as it can. Cars cost way too much money these days to buy junk. GM is paring down and so is Fiat/Chrysler.
Talk a bout a match made in Hades, that's Fiat Chrysler. Marry the worst of the American car makers with the worst of Europe and their offspring could start a new "Omen"/"Rosemary's Baby"/"Exorcist" movie franchise. Linda Blair should be their spokesperson.
LOL, well I would have agreed with you in the past but I have 2 cars this marriage hatched (including a Hellcat) and they have been beautiful, reliable, distinctive, comfortable....everything great. Though the Hellcat probably did come from hades.
So while I also wondered how bad the FCA marriage would be, it seems like it's working brilliantly from all I can tell from personal experience.
I certainly don't. Japanese cars, even the ones made in the USA are superior in every way. The Japanese not only have better engineering and quality control, they are not saddled with the albatross of the UAW around their necks.
Hyundai/Kia have exceeded the quality of the lesser Japanese makes and are fast approaching the quality of Toyota and Honda.
It's no wonder Ford is running away from the sedan business as fast as it can. Cars cost way too much money these days to buy junk. GM is paring down and so is Fiat/Chrysler.
Talk a bout a match made in Hades, that's Fiat Chrysler. Marry the worst of the American car makers with the worst of Europe and their offspring could start a new "Omen"/"Rosemary's Baby"/"Exorcist" movie franchise. Linda Blair should be their spokesperson.
The UAW has done more harm than good. Why do you think all the foreign manufacturers have their factories in the southern states?
It's definitely cheaper to assemble cars with no union labor, and also cheaper to build them in the south where the cost of living/wages are cheaper to begin with. (Also less headache for the OEM when they don't have to deal with a union.)
That being said, in the grand scheme of things while the UAW can be a pain in the you-know-what, it's not even in the list of the top 10 issues domestic automakers face. Just thinking out loud here I'd say bigger issues would be (in no particular order):
1) Supply base / material cost (this is the biggest issue)
2) Tax structure / tax breaks (why the US continues to give foreign companies more tax breaks and lower tax rates, in all industries, is beyond my comprehension)
3) Global trade barriers, especially in Asia
4) Currency manipulation / strength of the dollar
5) Brand perception and nameplate recognition (mainly on the car side, obviously)
6) Product Development process / design (majors vs refresh vs government mandates, need better planning here)
7) Corporate bureaucracy, need to empower more people and speed up the process
8) Employee wages / health care costs / pension liability (they are being penalized for paying their people better than the competition)
9) Older manufacturing facilities/tools, not set up with lower-cost supplier parks
10) Retail sales process / use of public incentives vs hidden incentives
LOL, well I would have agreed with you in the past but I have 2 cars this marriage hatched (including a Hellcat) and they have been beautiful, reliable, distinctive, comfortable....everything great. Though the Hellcat probably did come from hades.
So while I also wondered how bad the FCA marriage would be, it seems like it's working brilliantly from all I can tell from personal experience.
Well it is certainly working better than the merger with Daimler which was an epic fail.
I can't believe people still think "American car companies" are somehow inferior still today then Japanese cars.
Unbelievable.
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