http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/...e_20050714.htm

 

That ought to get him all riled up.

 

there is no word for pick up truck in Japanese...........

 

Sorry I missed this last month...
I was on the road... building a plant in CHINA.
We're investing $121-million in a single unit about 90 miles north of Shanghai in the Guang-Dong Province. We have 2 in China, and 3 in Taiwan now.

I was "ostricised" for promoting American pride and trying to point out that supporting the American carmakers was an important thing to do.

So now I take my American pride elsewhere. There are boards and forums that actually understand the importance of it, and it is nice to be able to have a sensible discussion about it from time to time without getting into senseless debate.

This says it best....
Dan Bedore, a Ford spokesman, adds that foreign automakers "see equity in calling themselves American companies, which is encouraging, but building cars in the U.S. doesn't make them an American company any more than making tennis shoes in China would make Nike a Chinese company."

 

Not sure what the reference is to PP, but I can't honestly see too many people on this board slamming you for being pro-American. I know I sure as hell am, never bought a foreign built car in my life, and very proud of it! (Well there was the Camaro, your take on that may vary).

On the other hand, I can see you being ostracized for supporting Ford!
J/K I actually own a Ford F150, been a damn good vehicle.

 

I wish they mentioned in the article the investment done by GM, Ford, and Chrysler. They did make mention that none of the foreign investment matters, but to talk numbers from foreign manufacturers and "forget" to mention domestic?

 

At least these parts are going to a subsidiary of GM, but it is still American jobs lost IMO...
Read for yourself...
Parts to India

I will withhold my usual pro-American rhetoric so as not to incite any flame wars.

 

I think a lot of people perhaps have misread the article.........

>>NEW DELHI - General Motors Corp. plans to buy $1 billion worth of automobile parts from India each year by 2008 as part of cost-cutting efforts at the world's biggest automaker, a senior executive at its local subsidiary said Friday. <<

>>>GM currently buys about $120 million in parts from India each year, and the plan to increase those purchases should result in major savings for the carmaker, said P. Balendran, vice president of General Motors India.



It is from New Delhi.......that's in India.......the senior executive making the announcement.....is in India......and the first paragraph talks about local subsidiary.

what they're saying is that GM will be building cars in India for that market....and they will be buying parts made in India for those cars and trucks....not all of them.....but quite a few.

I think people think it meant that GM is going to buy all these parts in India and then ship them to Lansing or Lordstown..........not so.

By the way, ProudPony....I can understand how you feel........boy do I! But I hope you'll stay around........you're very often the voice of reason.

 

that actually very noble of GM.

 

Thanks Scott.
I don't want to run this thread astray, but it seems so painfully apparent to me that only guys like you and I, that have traveled and seen how the other countries are, are the ones that see the true jeopardy of losing domestic manufacturing jobs. It bothers me deeply. I've been in Europe quite a bit, and while the people are nice and the geography is too, I don't want the US to end up in their economic situation. Everyone except the rich live in tiny flats or homes stacked on top of each other, with ONE car, no land, and they all live in a big communion, eaking out their living with only a slim hope of becoming independently wealthy through their own business or holding lofty positions in big companies. We are truely privelidged here in the USA, and so many of us just don't realize it.

I'll always lurk from time to time, but there are 2 things pulling me away from this board right now...
1) We are 120-130% utilized on engineering manhours from now through Feb06. My boss just sent out the new itenerary for us last Thursday, and I am slated for 1 week in Germany, 2 weeks in Taiwan, and 4 weeks in China - all before the year end to build and install equipment. I also will be doing equipment installations in Chester SC, Shelby NC, and Lexington NC each at about 3-5 days. I will be in Buffalo NY in Sept, Richmond VA next week and again in Sept, and I will be in Pittsburgh area for a week in October.
We are tooling and shifting product for 2006, and it's "crunch time".
(Man, would I love to tell you all some of the things I am seeing and hearing of right now - unfortunately most of the good stuff seems to be coming out in foreign markets right now.
Let me say this much and not risk being terminated... look for LOTS of OEM glass here in the States that is color-matched to the paint on the car... real soon. )

2) The threads in here are going from informative and thoughtful to flames and trashy. I've seen this trend come and go in here many times, and it's just in a slump right now. We're losing some good members... (Anybody seen RE50 or kizz lately?) I've lurked in here MANY times in the last two months, only to read the opening threads and get disgusted and leave.
When two or three guys share a common opinion and support each other's position, it is labelled "pleasuring each other" and deemed offensive to someone who does not share the same POV.
Maybe NAIAS leaks will give us something good to post about soon!

I'm sure you have an incredible schedule too, what with the 2006 shows getting ready to fire off and all. I'll keep an eye open for your posts, as I am always eager to read what you have to say - you too bring a pleasant sense of reality and common sense to the otherwise crazy world of anonymous internet know-it-alls.

 

What company do you work for? I was to see the stuff on their site.

 

I am not a moderator, but if I were, I'd definitely take into account the disruptive effects that a very few people can have.

The quality of the discussion does go down. It gets very frustrating to have to rebut the BS (or simply sit and fume). It reduces the possibility that people with KNOWLEDGE and valuable opinions will post.

We recently let some members of our (pro) writing group go for these same reasons. Sometimes it has to be done.

 

I know what you're saying about some other members, but please stick around. I also get sick of some of the posts, as it seems some people only exist for the sole purpose of starting crap, without actually conributing to the board. I don't post too often, but you, along with Scott and Guy, are truly peploe I look forward to reading. It sounds like you are extremely busy, as I'm sure Scott and Guy are as well, but please stick around and try to ignore the others who feel like they have to post just for the sake of posting. I know it's frustrating when a good topic gets hijacked by these individuals, but that's the nature of the internet (unfortunately!). Hopefully there mommies will take away their computers soon and this forum can get back to a higher standard.

 

I always try my best to calm down those who tend to bash.

But, thats off topic. I've seen other places of the world, and I know how I live. And to say the least, The USA is a wonderful place to be. Unfortunatly, U.S. auto manufactures are loosing a long battle. hopefully they will turn around what the import market has undoubtably shaken up... GM must stop supporting Toyota, with products like the Vibe. Just because they didnt have a crossover and again got cought with their pants down, doesnt mean GM should borrow a competators vehicle, that does nothing but help the competator. That would be like if GM borrowed the Mustang so they had something in the muscle car field... how would that work out?

But its worse they send profits of the Vibe to another country, that is totally against the reason to buy domestic.

I dont care if cars are built in canada, or USA, or even mexico (if they are built with quality) but keep them here in america. Keep our ecconomy strong and help the two that surround us, because whether canada likes it, or mexico likes it, if we get into trouble (as far as war) they are gonna get sucked into it as well, and they will need a good ecconomy.
And look at Detriot, almost everyone in that whole area is affected somehow by the automakers.

I dont know what GM is thinking, but one of the best way to push away the competition is localize yourself in the midst of the competition, I.E. California, sink a plant out here, a really big one cause we got lots of people, and make people care about the Domestic market... Hell do some research down here, so many really educated people come out of Cal Poly Pomona (one of the best engeneering schools in the country) and other places, THese people love the cali weather... do you think they wanna live in the area of Detriot?

Toyota has a plant out here... Hyundai has a headquarters over near my house... and look at their market share in California, Toyota's is probably near 40%