Several references have already been made to "where the profits go" in this thread and I feel it important to comment...

Let's remember that "profit" is whatever is left after costs and in terms of real money, the amount of profit for the manufacturer is a small fraction of the sales price to the dealer. On top of that, most profit goes right back into product design, development and expansion (which mostly stays in the US).

And let's not forget a portion of the profit that must be paid to the shareholders who truly live all over the world. Yes, some "profit" does go offshore but trying to bring the argument down to profit ignores the billions of dollars that stay in the US.

 

I feel that this whole discussion is pointless. If a company from overseas is making money off of us, do you really think they are going to be jumping at the opportunity to give something back to us? I don't see it... GM will be more involved in giving back to this country through charities, community events, sponsoring programs to help the kids in this country, as opposed to putting the money back into those same things in Japan.

And about GM having plants in China or other places overseas. To me, that seems like a result of Toyota and Honda forcing GM to go elsewhere to compete in the market where the competition has been taking advantage of that same situation for years. GM didn't do that to get a leg up on the competition. They did it to stay competitive with it.

But hey, What do I know?

 

And I also feel that anyone who is on the side of "Buying foreign is ok because xxxxx, and xxxx" is just trying to justify something they've done wrong! just kidding.

 

To a point it is pointless in the event that I could buy domestic all my life, xxxx could buy foreign all their life and its not gonna change one thing. Unless your a president or senator I don't think it much matters. And they are going to follow mainstream America and to be honest, unfortuately "Mainstream America" I doubt browses Camaro forums...

We are a dying breed, lol.

 

Why do you think that these companies are building plants in the US? To remain competitive as well.

 

Yes, but the reasons are a very different from what I understand.

Vehicles that are built in the U.S. by Japanese manufacturers are built here because they are vehicles that are almost exclusively for North America. It then becomes more cost effective for them to build them here, because they are not sold anywhere else.

Vehicles that sell in more markets than JUST North America are still generally built outside the United States.

When an American company builds a car outside the U.S. , it's generally in an attempt to reduce labor costs involved with building the cars...

 

Thats correct. I dont see whats diffrent about that though.

 

Well, I see it as different because the Japanese are doing this because it is saving them money on cars just for North America. How many of these cars are exported back to Japan and sold there or any other market? Few to none, I'd assume.

If the Japanese manufacturers really were "good hearted" enough to give all these jobs to North America to really benefit North America, they'd be exporting cars FROM North America back to Japan and other markets.... but they don't.

 

Could you please tell me which foreign manufacturers use mostly american parts? I bet theres only a few if any.

All domestic manufacturers use a majority of domestic parts in their cars unless it's a rebaged import.

 

Imports are built here because of currency exchange rates and the high value of the dollar among other things.

 

Oh boy...time to clean up some misconceptions around here...

1) The Vibe IS a rebadged Matrix, which is nothing more than a jacked up Corolla. I know. I sell them. The cars are built in the joint venture NUMMI plant in Fremont CA. It is a joint venture factory. Its a Toyota in all but the styling and the radio. And what's funny is that the anti-GM bias is so huge against cars like the Matrix that I actually saw a customer complain about the radio in a long-term road test Automobile Magazine had for a Matrix. Can you believe it???? That was the ONLY obvious non-Toyota component, and the goofball bashed it because he couldn't read the display. I have news for you...ever try reading a Toyota LCD clock with sunglasses on? RIGHT....

2) The Chinese engines and Japanese transmissions in the Equinox are a stop gap. The 3.9 SHOULD be going in the Equinox and Torrent for '07. GM has excess plant capacity in China that needs to be used...hence the engine importation. The Japanese 5 speed AT is only because GM's own 6 speed won't be online for another year or two. I bring that up because some people above mentioned the domestics using foreign components. Typically that does NOT happen. The Honda engine in the VUE? That's because GM got some engines dirt cheap because of Isuzu diesels it sold Honda for the home market...NOT because GM has long term plans for using Honda engines, or because GM can't make their own!!!!!!!!

3) Japanese manufacturing became popular in the U.S. because of tarrifs. I believe foreign pickups STILL are subject to a 20% import tarrif!!! At least they were until the mid-90s...which is about the last time you ever saw an imported pickup anyway besides a Nissan!

4) When you buy that Subaru, owned 20% by GM, most of the profit STILL goes to Fuji Heavy Industries...whether it was built here, whether its part GM ownership or not. NO ONE can argue that.

5) I refuse to buy a Torrent until the 3.9 engine comes out. If they keep the Chinese 3400 in it, I will NEVER buy one. I already have customers complaining over it!

I love people who buy imported products, then wonder why the US economy is in such poor shape. There's no loyalty in this country to its own companies. I buy anything I can made by an American manufacturer because if we keep it up, we won't make anything someday...

Its such a shame, but completely inevitable. "Made in the USA" may not always mean what it used to, but in a lot of cases it still does. A Honda built in OH is still a foreign car. And as for the Canada argument, leave them out of it...they buy more American brands on a percentage basis than we do!! They do more to support our products than we do...a shame.

 

This is starting to happen. The Nissan Murano, previously a US only vehicle and built here is now a "world vehicle" and will be exported. There is also a Mercedes plaant (I think in Arizona) that is now exporting. I see the Frontier as an excelent canadate for export as well. We will see. By the way, I agree with you to a point and would have agreed 100% a few months ago.

 

That's a better argument than I made...nice work

 

You are wrong. I dont care what you sell. I own a vibe and when we first bought it I was even all over the vibe boards. I know its history and even about the matrix being introduced as a corrola wagon when it was first released. The engine is toyota, the car is built in the jint venture plant but was desgned by GM.

 

Whatever...I'd love to see a GM engineer come on and answer this. EVERYTHING on the car is Toyota besides the radio. You said it was a GM plant, and now admit you're wrong. OK. The engine, transmission, wheel bearings, EVERYTHING on this car is Toyota. I watched the dealer release videos when it talked about how GM Design "restyled the Matrix to reflect Pontiac's aggressive appearance." You say GM designed the whole damn car, and yet the car is nothing more than a jacked up Corolla.

I'm wrong. Right....I don't care what your websites told you, I watched the damn GM videos and listened to the GM engineers!!!!!!