This will set some of us on our ears, and make some of us dance around in jubilence...

Angry Ford dealer in SC blasts imports in ads

"SAVANNAH, Ga. – A Ford dealer angered over the proposed bailout of U.S. automakers blames the nation's sour economy on Congress and criticized buyers of Japanese cars, calling the vehicles "rice ready ... not road ready" in a radio ad.

O.C. Welch, who owns a dealership near Savannah in Hardeeville, S.C., began airing the minute-long ad on a dozen stations in the area over the weekend. The ad sounds more like a talk-radio tirade than a sales pitch.

"All you people that buy all your Toyotas and send that money to Japan, you know, when you don't have a job to make your Toyota car payment, don't come crying to me," Welch says in the ad. "All those cars are rice ready. They're not road ready."

Floyd Mori, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, said Welch's remarks evoke anti-Asian sentiments often aimed at Japanese and Chinese immigrants to the U.S. from the 1930s through World War II. He also noted many Japanese automakers' cars are manufactured in America.

"It's a blatant, ignorant, racist remark from somebody who should know better," Mori said.

Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said the company's cars consistently receive high marks for quality. The automaker employs 36,600 Americans, he said, and about 60 percent of Toyota vehicles sold in the U.S. were manufactured here.

"How do you tell a worker in Kentucky who's producing a Toyota that his job is worth less than another American autoworker's?" Dominicis said.

The car dealer, though, said Tuesday he had received more positive calls than negative ones. His dealership sold 15 new cars Saturday — half of them to people drawn to the lot by the ad, he said.

Welch said he's mostly mad at politicians, blasting them in his ad as only being good for "slinging mud and spending our tax dollars." He said the government should offer tax incentives for consumers to buy new cars rather than spend money bailing out Ford, General Motors and Chrysler."

I don't care if you agree or not - I'm not even sure that I agree with everything in his ad myself - but you have GOT to give this guy some credit for putting up his money, his face, and his name (and possibly his business) to get his point across. I applaud this kind of conviction. More in the USA need to be this passionate about things.

Turns out that I am driving to Douglas, GA this Friday on personal business... I am seriously considering swinging by his dealership to buy something (anything - even a set of Ford floormats FTM) from him, meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for taking it to the public. Now, I hope he follows it up with a round of statistics and data - true data that shows how well-built US cars are today, how many jobs are tied to the US auto industry, etc. I'm sure he has their attention, now he needs to establish credibility and make a valid point, and not just appear as a whiney cry-baby with an unjustified personal opinion.

I have some text in the quote above in bold.... really makes one think.
* "Manufactured" here... or "assembled" here?

* 36,000 employees here in the US... WOW!!! It's a whole economic sector by itself! Newsflash... we lost over 600,000 jobs in the last month... GM and Ford have both layed-off more than that from one facility.

* His dealership sold 15 new cars Saturday — half of them to people drawn to the lot by the ad...

I'm trying to find a link to the ad on the web... have not found it yet.
So - anyone else out there got a set like this guy?
It's time to put-up or shut-up. Our livlihood is one the line now like never before.

 

wow. thats relatively down the road from me.. as im in Cola, SC.. its about a hour and a half drive.

Im like you I do applaud him for putting his neck, and everything else on the line. I too hope that he follows the ads with another set, with facts, statistics, and the like. I feel that as a country, we've all been "politically correct" brainwashed. if its not pc, we cant say, think or act on it... and thats just not right.

 

Good for him.

 

I'll jump on the "I'm glad he has the ***** to put his livelihood on the line to state his opinion" bandwagon, but his approach could be better.

36,000 jobs? Oooooh, you big employer you.

 

There are too many American car buyers that are anti American. 20+ years ago, yes there was a good reason to despise American automobiles. Today, the products are as good as or even better than the Asian/European brands.

As far as total number of US employees, how many do foreign cars co. have working here compared to the US car makers? It is good that they have assembly plants here, but it's only b/c it's cheaper then building them in their own countries then shipping here.

The majority of America used to be patriotic & supported US co. now the majority doesn't care.

 

There's another ad like that for a dealer local to me, but not quite as brasen. It basically just says to give the new American cars the chance they deserve. I definitely give this guy credit for doing this. He's got some brass and I'm glad to see him sticking up for the home team.

36,300 Americans employed by Toyota. There are single cities with higher numbers of GM employees.

 

yea 36,000 what a joke!


but hey people in this forum is that line all the time - my car is more american then yours - my car was built in america...and on and on bleh bleh bleh

 

I hope this isn't what Ford calls Bold Moves!

Had he left out "rice" then he wouldn't be subject to racism comments.

What I worry about is a backlash against the big 3 because they are getting government aide and because they got publicly humiliated. I fear that distain will have an impact on their buying practices. It is one thing to think that one particular car is better than another but something else to actually dislike one brand. I fear that many who didn't approve of federal aide to the American car companies will turn on them.

 

Japanese auto companies get GOV aide from japan.

 

I love it

(I'm sure no one here is surprised by that...)

So far I've bought 8 bumperstickers off eBay with the "Out of a Job Yet? Keep Buying Foreign!" tagline. My workers, myself, even my parents all want one...I'll be buying more soon

 

It's interesting to me that the people who are the most vocal about "Buy American" are those who "Sell American," and paradoxically, not those who actually "Make American."

Curious, no?

 

What rediculous reasoning.

On a separate note, I love how when there is nothing else to do lets play the racism card!

 

He sounds like an idiot honestly.

More ***** than brains.

 

so you are saying GM plant workers all drive toyotas?

 

Yup.