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| 7/9 |
| 2006/1/26-29 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:41557 Activity:high |
1/26 Our jobs are getting outsourced because we're unpatriotic and
buy foreign goods. Try something new. By an American vehicle -
chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060126/cm_usatoday/buyamericantoboostusindustries
\_ Real patriots don't drive cars.
\_ I bought an American vehicle but it had nothing to do with
politics. I drove everything I was even remotely interested in
in the 20-30k range from all makers and got an excellent price.
If American makers want more sales they need to improve quality
and features without increasing prices. Ford only had half the
right idea announce on Monday: they're over staffed and dumping
1/4 of their work force. I didn't see anything about fixing the
core problem which is that their car quality just sucks or I
would've bought some stock for a long term hold. GM got decent
customer satisfaction/quality ratings on recent surveys but didn't
market that fact at all. Companies run by stupid people are just
doomed in the long run.
\_ Actually, they know exactly why their quality sucks. Because
they spend something like $6k/car on worker benefits. That's
an extra $5k/car (!!) that their competition can spend on quality
parts and assurance.
\_ I'm calling bullshit on you.
\_ I call bullshit on you. Give some evidence.
\_ I'm sure Ford knows. My disappointment is that they didn't
announce a plan to do anything about it. I used to own one.
It was fun but built like shit and their service centers
sucked too.
\_ It's not $6K. It's about $3K. Note that German workers
get paid still higher though. I'd blame the unions.
\_ Eh, I'm being patriotic and I buy Japanese cars. But then
again I'm Japanese. I win.
\_ "But I think the real fault lies with the U.S. consumer. First we
wanted sport-utility vehicles, now we don't." How dare we have
fads! For shame!
\_ Someone should inform this guy that American cars are built by
Mexicans, while Japanese cars are being built by Americans.
\_ True, and that's why Nissan/Infiniti ratings are so low.
If you buy a car built in Japan it's going to be better
and I'm not sure why that is.
\_ I think that Nissan/Infiniti's problems have more to
do w/ the company and less to do w/ US manufacturing.
Toyota builds many Camry's and Corrola's in the US
and there are no quality problems w/ either. Same w/
Subaru.
The problem faced by US automakers is that they do
not spend enough time time on the details for most
cars (cf. trucks where US trucks are considered very
cars (cf. trucks where US trucks are considered
reliable).
\_ Perhaps, but Nissan's rating were higher when they
were Japan-built.
\_ Perhaps, but Nissan's ratings were higher when they
were Japan-built. BMW's ratings are higher for their
German-(or South African)-built cars. I have a
friend who specifically sought out a Japanese-built
Camry (you can tell by VIN). Is it better? I dunno,
but I'd bet it is if I had to guess.
\_ I owned a NUMI built Corrola for nearly 8 years
and the car was rock solid, never had any issues.
My brother has a Japan built Corrola now and it
equally reliable. Same w/ my Indiana built Outback.
I've owned American for years and the difference
btwn Japanese and American cars is the attention
to detail in the design rather than the location
of manufacture. Japanese manufacturers seem to
take more time to "debug" their cars. [ I under-
stand that my experience is not a statistically
significant sample ]
\_ US car manufacturers do have at least some fairly competitive
vehicles in their lineups. However, most of them are
underrated in consumers' minds. (I for one think Ford's
lineup is competitive except for Lincoln which needs an
overhaul like the one given to Cadillac). However, you
can't blame consumers alone for this. No one likes gambling
with a $15K-$30K purchasing decision. Snob appeal also
plays a role. Most US brands are now considered inferior to
the big three Japanese companies and I suppose there are
some people who wouldn't want to drive an American car just
because of that. I would blame again the manufacturers for
this. Having even one gimmick in a product lineup can do
damage to the whole brand. Offering cutthroat discounts at
the time when US media is mostly filled with negative news
about Ford and GM probably doesn't help much to brand's
image either. Neither it will help immediately if a brand
like Ford came up with clear winners in all cathegories as
it takes some time to build confidence among the consumers.
\_ I'm from Hong Kong and I bought three American cars before I bought
my first foreign one: Ford (sucks), Jeep (sucks), Jeep (okay),
Toyota (excellent).
\_ I totalled my Camry,had it repaired, been running great
for 2 years since. (there... i bet i just jinxed it) |
| 7/9 |
|
| news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060126/cm_usatoday/buyamericantoboostusindustries USA TODAY Opinion Buy American to boost US industries Thu Jan 26, 11:18 AM ET Ford and General Motors' woes mirror the troubled landscape of US manufacturing. I've heard most of the reasons: inefficient and too-large companies that are slow to deal with the changing marketplace; They all contain some truth ("Ford to cut jobs, close plants," News, Tuesday). Click Here US corporations are hardly blameless, and maybe these dire circumstances were needed to sufficiently humble and scare our remaining manufacturers into belatedly trying to salvage themselves. We buy foreign vehicles because we think the disparity in quality is greater than it really is. A difference in quality does exist, but it's getting smaller. And all arguments pale, I think, beside the need to preserve what's left of our manufacturing base, and the need to try to right our financial deficits. So, buy an American vehicle - chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised. And you'll help keep good jobs in this country, and be a patriot. Brooks Keogh, Topeka Why foreign cars succeed My heart goes out to all those decent, hard-working Ford employees who will lose their jobs because of plant closings and layoffs. Worse yet, I don't think this will solve Ford's problem - which is that it doesn't build dependable transportation. Simply put, I believe foreign cars are built better and are more reliable over time, which ultimately saves consumers like me money. And we're even willing to pay more for this reliability! The argument that Ford grew too big is no excuse because Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi are big, too, yet build good cars. My advice to Ford's execs: Go back to your motto "Quality is Job One" and build darn good cars and trucks that are reliable over time. In other words, give the driving public what we actually need and want: safe and reliable transportation. This is what truly has made foreign automakers successful. They build great cars that we know will last years and give us reliable service. I, for one, am very confident that my plain and ordinary Honda will easily last me more than 100,000 miles with relatively few major repairs. While it might appear somewhat uncharitable to Ford employees faced with unemployment, the point has to be made that US autoworkers have long been at fault. They have been behaving like the proverbial fool who killed the goose that laid golden eggs. Their outlandish demands on management for health and other benefits, not to mention their strikes and slowdowns, are largely responsible for the dire straits of that pioneer of pioneers, Ford. Viswanath Jayaraman, Brecksville, Ohio Fix US health care How many more jobs in the auto industry must we lose before we fix the health care system? Between General Motors and Ford, about 60,000 jobs are slated to be cut. In 2004, Ontario, not Michigan, was North America's leading car producer. GM's health care costs, for example, are about $6,500 per employee in the USA compared with only $800 in Canada. That's because Canada has a universal health care system, while we have a for-profit, free-market system that is perpetuated by tens of millions of dollars per year in campaign contributions. So jobs are heading north and to other countries whose companies do not have to add health care to their bottom line. Why is the business world not demanding a similar universal health care system in the USA? Right now, businesses are adding their health care costs to the price of their products and the public reimburses them at the cash register. It would cost the public no more to pay for this cost with higher taxes, but we'd keep jobs in the USA as companies could better compete with foreign products. As a Medicare patient, I can attest to the fact that a Medicare-for-all system would be totally acceptable to the public. The hospital, HMO and pharmaceutical industries would oppose it, but who is Congress responsible to? "Explorer's future seems up in the air," might have misled readers to believe that Ford is not committed to its SUV business and the Explorer. In fact, we've just introduced our best and safest Explorer ever, and we continue to compete vigorously for every existing and new customer (Money, Wednesday). Ford facts USA TODAY's readers should know: Today, traditional SUVs and crossovers each account for about 2 million sales. Ford is strong in both segments, and we're growing rapidly in crossovers. Ford Explorer sales in 2005 were down, and gas prices certainly played a role. But the segment remains sizable at more than 1 million units a year, and the best product wins. In addition to the new Explorer we introduced for 2006, a new 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac goes on sale this spring. |