17th Aug 2012, 10:41
Japan has been a strong ally to the US, and stood in the front line against Soviet expansion, and now Chinese expansionism, for 60 years. In addition to that loyalty, they have been in a 10-year recession, and with the tsunami that devastated so much of the country, why would you begrudge the Japanese the sale of some quality products? Don't our allies also deserve prosperity? Would you prefer social unrest and militarism?
17th Aug 2012, 11:58
It sure does.. something about not seeing the forest for the trees, or in this case refusing to.
17th Aug 2012, 14:19
To quickly answer your question, use Wikipedia. You will see Volvo corporate is Sweden, Saab is Sweden etc. They are not domestic. Your 73 Opel was not a domestic. However you could possibly find an Opel GT and drop a GM 350 in it, and have a really fun car!
As long as we are going back in time when America was really prosperous, there was really minimal foreign automobile dominance. I liked imports more at that time when they were were made in Japan and were low production. Overall I had minimal issues and returned to the import dealerships. Since production increased, no doubt to recent high fuel costs, we have since had major issues. Drivetrain failures were never a consideration for our household back in the late 70s, 80s and even into the mid 90s Then we started to see a decline is quality to average, and then below average into 2000 and beyond. I didn't switch over the economy... it was over major issues. Personally I see it now as a win win. Our economy is poor, and I am getting better quality with domestics. I am helping our stagnant economy. I could have gone from a new Japanese manufacturer to a new Korean model, and likely have done better. But I went domestic.
In the future we will have cars from India, China etc taking more of our market no doubt. How that affects employment here is anyone's guess. People will take jobs that they do not want at lower pay and benefits. If they lose 5-6 dollars an hour to start, and former benefits they once had, it's the way it is. I guess I am using the import mentality. After all, it's my money and my driveway, right? There's little heavy industry left here anyway.
17th Aug 2012, 18:52
Last month I went on a road trip with my cousin, and the car they gave him at the rental agency was a 2011 Camry, which I drove, and also sat in the front and back seats.
The Camry had nowhere near the interior room that my Town Car has (even with the drive shaft tunnel), nor did it have the room that the Park Avenue in our family has.
Also it's not just old people that drive these boats.
17th Aug 2012, 20:04
You're not serious are you? (I'm not the writer of the comment you replied to, by the way.)
A joint venture is all about sharing designs, factories, even entire models. What else would two rival auto companies gain from a joint venture?
Here's just a few examples:
For the sharing of a factory, well the most blatantly obvious one is the NUMMI GM/Toyota plant in California. At this plant, the Toyota Corolla and its mechanically identical twin the Chevrolet Prizm were built. After this, Toyota Matrixes and their mechanically identical twins the Pontiac Vibe models were made here.
For an example of just general design sharing, well the Chevrolet Duramax diesel engine is designed and built entirely by Isuzu (a Japanese company you may notice). And the Ford Fusion hybrid uses a Toyota hybrid system.
For entire model sharing... well... it would be physically impossible to list them all, but here's a few:
Toyota Corolla/Chevrolet Prizm
Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Voltz
Opel Insignia/Buick Regal
Chevrolet Trailblazer/GMC Envoy/Isuzu Ascender/Saab 9-7x
Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO
Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ
Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute/Mazda CX-5
Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series Truck
Chevrolet S10/Isuzu Hombre
Scion IQ/Aston Martin Cygnet
Chevrolet Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick
Dodge Dakota/Mitsubishi Raider
Nissan Frontier/Suzuki Equator
Ford Fiesta/ Mazda 2
Ford Fusion/Ford Mondeo/Mazda 6
Ford F-150/Lincoln Mark LT
Chrysler Cirrus/Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze
Fiat Giulietta/Dodge Dart
Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift
Volkswagen Touareg/Porsche Cayenne
Etc, etc, etc...
Like I said, the list goes on and on. All of the cars I just listed are mechanically identical to each other (and some of them look the same too.) Automakers share things through joint ventures all the time. It's the entire point of the joint venture.
17th Aug 2012, 20:53
Reread comment 08:16, BUILT by a domestic company; Pontiac Vibe, Buick Verano, Mercury Villager, Dodge Stealth for example don't apply to this.
BUILT by an import company; Saab 9-7x, Isuzu Hombre, Mazda Navajo for example don't apply to this.
This is what happens when companies merge together and sell re-badged vehicles.
Anyways shall we get back on topic already? This review reads, 2011 Toyota Corolla, "don't buy one"; that's advice I would definitely take.
17th Aug 2012, 22:56
Obviously by this statement, it shows that those who have not had long careers in the automotive industry, totally misunderstand the manner in which vehicles are manufactured and marketed today.
I will say it one last time - this is a pointless argument, being made it seems, by someone who appears to embrace isolationism.
Also, I have to say, if you own a Fusion, you really should know this was a car based on the Mazda 6 and is made in Mexico - Just sayin' if you are on the isolationist bandwagon, I wouldn't be throwing stones if I were you.
As for the implications that I don't know the industry because I may disagree with some of you. Sorry, I started in the industry in 1974 pretty much at the bottom, and worked my way up the ladder to upper management. I left the industry in 2007, but keep in contact and up to date on virtually all makes & models. Cars have been my life, and continue to be. You may disagree with me, but if I were you I wouldn't insinuate that I don't know the industry, because you would be very wrong.
18th Aug 2012, 06:52
The Camry is a mid sized car at best. One could call a minivan a boat today. I got better MPG in my late model Crown Vic company car than my VW Bugs with 40 hp. It's the overdrives that get over 30 MPG.
The only really comfortable small car I have tested in 2012 was a Mazda 3 Touring, not Sport. Tracks very well in bad weather and heavy rain. I drove it at 70 mph (our speed limit) on a lengthy trip, and it had great bolstered seats. I bought one for my daughter in college. We looked at Civics and Corollas; very plain, and not anywhere near as well equipped or rode as nicely.
Kinda off track on here with reviews with China. Thought I would do a comparison vs politics.
17th Aug 2012, 10:21
No one seems to bring up pay. Personally I wouldn't want to start out 6 bucks an hour less in another remote plant and less benefits, as examples of a shuttered plant here. People will grab any job, and be glad to have them and stay. There's pressure from other countries besides Japan. Korea is an example. Everyone seems to have sub suppliers to keep competitive. Corporate is corporate; it's owned by a country. Anybody getting huge raises in manufacturing on here. Besides food and pharmaceutical? I am lucky to have a job, let alone have the nerve to ask for a raise in the past 5 years. Every year something is taken away. Departments closed, no more 401k matching, higher health care employee percentage. No wonder companies seek out cheaper locations, or move more and more manufacturing overseas. I feel our standard of living and quality of life is diminishing every year. So I quit buying imports.