When you look at a manufacturer's market share, it isn't as important what the figures happen to say "today" but what the trend is...all the domestic manufacturers have been loosing share to imports and no one expects that trend to reverse itself anytime soon although I do believe it will settle out and reach relative equilibrium sooner or later.

The only real bright spot for the domestic manufacturers has been full-sized pick-up trucks and SUVs but as we all know, the Asian manufacturers (well, primarily Nissan dna Toyota) either already are or are gearing up to take on Detroit in that market as well.

I don't think GM is in any real danger of passing away but I'd say Ford is potentially in real trouble. Of course, the fate of any manufacturer is based on being able to build cars and trucks that people want to buy...Ford seems to be doing the right things and GM is certainly coming out with some good products so my own personal prediction is that the “big three” will survive but perhaps be a bit smaller and more efficient when the dust settles. All in all, this is a golden age for the consumer...lot's of truly good products to choose from at almost any price level.

 

Ok. The whole Toyota line is 12.2%. Chevrolet is 16.5% or I think it is now closer to 17%.

 

Why should i worry about any new domestic offerings?

 

Here is what Ford, GM and Chrysler worry about

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1/27/05
Truck Fight Gets Heavy-Duty
Detroit Free Press
The fight between domestic and Asian automakers over the pickup truck market might soon move into the heavyweight category -- potentially jeopardizing sales, profits and jobs in metro Detroit. Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. are both exploring whether to expand their full-size pickup trucks into one of the last strongholds of Detroit's automakers: the heavy-duty segment of the pickup truck market. Heavy-duty pickups can carry and tow heavier loads than light-duty pickups. They are used primarily by commercial customers and are among the Detroit automakers' most profitable products. "They are the only players right now," Michael Robinet, vice president of the forecast firm CSM Worldwide Inc. in Farmington Hills, said of Detroit automakers. General Motors Corp. builds most of its heavy-duty pickups at its Flint Truck Assembly and at Pontiac Assembly Center, both in Michigan. Ford Motor Co. builds most of its heavy-duty pickup trucks at its Kentucky Truck Assembly in Louisville, and at Cuautitlan Assembly in Mexico. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group builds its big Ram trucks at its St. Louis North Assembly Plant in Fenton, Mo. Those plants employ more than 15,000 U.S. workers and nearly 1,000 in Mexico. In the past, heavy-duty pickups have been aimed at commercial buyers, often small businesses and independent contractors such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters. But the big powerful vehicles have been attracting more mainstream buyers in recent years.
-------------------

 

I don't think we're talking about Malibus or any other family car. Imports aren't having trouble keeping up HP wise in family cars.

The cars that are getting the big V8s are for the most part sports or "sporty" cars with a focus on performance, where weight is more of a concern.

 

Sad thing is the more Americans purchase Imports, and as Detroit Automakers share dwindles, it just puts more American workers out of business. It's really kind of sad.

Yea I hate the fact that the the "impression" of American Automakers in 80's, 90's was crappy and they were so unrealiable. My parents 92' 4.3L Silverado only has 340,000mi never had the heads pulled. 88' Safari 4.3L 260,000mi Heads pulled once, and my old 90' S10 (210,000mi) nothing major until I wrecked it. And two camaros 91,92 w/ over 150,000. Definetly unreliable

It will be a sad day if Ford or GM ever goes out of business and we only have ourselfs to blame. I guess I'm old fashioned (yet only 24), but Made in the USA still means something to me. Who donates money to American Charities (GM), who pays the Govt hoards of money (GM), who supports our troops (GM). GM is not just an American Automaker, they are AMERICA! If it wasn't for the American Automobile Industry WTF would we have here except a bunch of goldminers. Every Industry in the United States either tailors to, or was derived from the American Automobile Industry. Period.

I don't feel quite the same way toward German or European manufactures becasue they do purchase alot of our vehicles. I was in Germany and the owner of my company (German based) drives a Jag, and the whole fleet of company vehicles are Fords (some sort of wagon). You see alot on the roads. Not in Japan or those markets, USA = FORBIDDEN. But yet they love capitolizing on our markets through our own incompetance.

We just need to tax the hell out of imports, just like everyone else taxes the hell out of our products. Then and only then will things be on a level playing field.

Although, it is nice to see people's perceptions of American automobiles getting better. Let's keep it up.

 

Chrome383Z,

I think you are taking a very one-dimensional view of things - the world is a lot more complicated and intertwined than a simple "us vs them" view. It was a fairly accurate view 30 years ago but not in today's world.

Most of the major "foreign" manufacturers have manufacturing plants in the US employing tens of thousands of workers and hundreds of thousands are employed through support industry while at the same time, many parts and assemblies for GM, Ford and Chrysler parts come from plants and suppliers from all over the world.

Once you get past the nameplate, it can be pretty difficult to really pick out the "foreign" from the domestic.

Manufacturers will survive if they produce cars and trucks that people want to buy...competition is not a bad thing...quite the opposite in fact.

 

Yea that may seem alittle one sided, but it gets aggrevating when the American companies contribute so much, yet the foreign companies take advantage of our system:

Case in point, Foreign company exec's can come over here and live ten years tax free, then they move back - send someone else over and the cycle starts again.

I have nothing directly against competition, if that competition is on a level playing field. In fact I think the import competition has lit a fire under GM's *** which is good, but needs to be fair. Of coarse we can say GM caused all of these problems to begin with, by buying up about 75% of the Auto Companies (Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, etc..etc...) When they did that I think that they threw some originallity out the window.



GM will be fine they're too big. Diamler already owns Dodge/Chrysler so it's really not American "owned" anymore. Ford is the one that is hurting. Chevrolet is gaining bigtime on Ford in the Truck market and with the Imports stealing some share I think we all ought to be "concerned." Although, I don't think Ford will disappear, BUT I could definetely see a Merge between GM and Ford Motor. Then we'd be down to 'one' American Auto company, and with regulations today it's pretty much impossible for a startup (another sad story but...). Oh well, just gimme my damn Camaro back!!!!

 

beat me to it robert_nashville
yea the nameplate and CORPORATE profits are the only thing left that's foreign in some cases
i see what you're saying and i agree, which is why i hope our camaro gets made in the u.s. and not canada, so american company can enjoy the profit and get some jobs for american workers

 

in regards to your other post chrome, i don't see a gm/ford merger ever happening really
ford is rolling out new stuff and are bound to do atleast ok in it
maybe they should stop making so many dang supercars though

 

It almost happened in the early 90s don't put anything past a broke desparate company.

 

What I consider "foreign" is where the profits go. Only GM and Ford's profits really go back to the USA. For eveyone else the bulk of the profits go back to the motherland.

In most countries, like Japan for instance, they will go out their way not to buy an American car, or product for that matter. But not here in the USA.

 

Thats not exactly true. I recently bought a Nissan Titan. Te reason I could justify this is that Nissan built an Engine plant and truck assembly plant on US soil. Check out how many billions they sank into these plants. The US workers are well oaid ad exist WITHOUT a blood sucking union. Hell, even the design of the truck was done in California. I see this as the same as GM building plants in China. It will be along time before there are any profits to go back anywhere after putting out that kind of investment.

 

As I mentioned before...things are complex when you start talking about foreign vs doimestic and even where the profits go.

What about the wages paid to American's working for Toyota or Nissan or BMW? When it comes to profits, it's really the stockholders of the corporation and they are truly world-wide. And how do you view a company like Nissan??? An "asian" car maunfacturer yet a French carmaker (Renault) owns a controlling share of Nissan...the vast majority of their products are designed and built in the US by Americans. As I said...a little complex today.

 

Not really that complex.

American companies = American profits, Foreign companies = Foreign profits.