Quote: About half of all the Japanese-branded vehicles sold in North America are built in North America. But many of those factories still rely on Japanese parts makers for everything from engines and transmissions to the smallest ?widgets,? notes analyst Peterson.
The most American made vehicle of the last about 20 years was the Hummer H1... Virtually all parts were US made.
Let's not just hang on the Japanese.. A lot of "American" cars have major parts made in other countries.
It is difficult to separate the sheep from the goats.
Toyota advertises that it builds cars in the US it should say assembled in the US with parts from various country's. Not familiar with other companies but GM has this on their stickers also where the major parts come from. I doubt if any car company builds a car anywhere without parts and tooling from other country's
Daughters new Ford Escape has a Mexican made engine. I think the sticker indicated it was 65 percent US made.
And I told her not to get a Chev Equinox because the engine was made in China.
I bought the most American made vehicle I could find in its class three years ago. Dodge Nitro with 85 percent US made on the sticker. The damn transmission shifts weird, I have taken it in twice, dealer tells me it is normal, no more Dodges at my house.
What tranny fluid is in it? If it isn't the factory fill it should be ATF +4 MS9602 http//
It is so all over with a lot of products that parts are shipped around and put together in other factories all over the world.
The multinationals sell things between their companies and adjust where they want to take out profits based on taxes etc.
The cost of labor is also a big factor if that is involved and not just robots.
Unfortunately this is sinking the wages for everyone having more than the average around the world and in some places the wages are pretty low so the US wages have a long way to go down or lets say the wages stay the same but the price of the dollar goes down which is the same thing.
In the US, the government and the unions have a large influence on the wages. I would say that it would be hard to live here on a single minimum wage job.
That means that we would have to reduce the number of employees at these higher level jobs, or be a LOT more productive. And with increased productivity, we have to sell more. It is a vicious cycle.
We are also hobbled in that the economics in some manufacturing countries permit unrealistic international currency exchange values to be used. I dont at all want the government to tax us to death and then subsidize "private" industry.
Surely our business model and our work ethic has to come under some scrutiny.
You think GM, Chrylser or Ford is any different? You might ant to check your facts on this before you spew garbage.
It isn't just raw wages, taxes, liabilities, high infrastructure costs, unions, management incompetance and even quality. Then your taxed worse than slaves were in the 1700's.
Take a dentist, they charge you $200 so after taxes right down to civic ones they get $100. Pay the rent, down to $50. $50 for one hour in the char and you pay $200. So you have to make $40/hr for a day, pay taxes then a 1 hour cleaning. Highly inefficient. You raise the price of cars, dentist raises seat time and government, big fat government wins.
That is why Reaganomics worked and Obamanomics failed. Leaving more money in peoples pockets means they could consume more and more employees were needed. Unstalled the economy for 1/4 the cost of Obama who is still deep in the hole. And no multi-trillion dollar flush for stupidity.
Taxation has elasticity just like car pricing, too much and sales stall. Trouble is Washington DCs need for statism and government greed and debt denial stalled whe whole damned economy.
In 20 or 30 years, we will call it the "American Lost Decades" after the Japanese that stalled out interest rates for socialism and debt. They still pay the price for mistakes made in the 80's.
Whatever came in the godamn thing.
There is an interest in creating local currencies in various places where the locals have their own currency that only works locally.
It is one step above the old way of trading goods for other goods.
People are starting to worry about the value of the global currencies.
For example in spain there are villages taking back the peseta for local use but allow tourist to spend their euros.
It allows for varied pricings for locals and tourists.
There are also varied pricings in restaurants where one price is advertised for everyone and another price on offer if you know how/who to ask which is much lover.
In many countries along the Mediterranean they are experts at these kind of subsystems.
Obviously the supermarkets and other chains have been trying to use all kinds of cards to give some customers bargain.
What many people want to do is get rid of the taxes in one way or the other and local currency is one way of cutting out the middle man.
I do consider an alternative currency and have some of it. Gold and oil. Does not mater how much fraud and debt congress and Obama push, does not mater if the CAD drops to 1/2 cent to the Yuan.... and ounce of gold is an ounce of gold and a barrel of oil is a barrel of oil.
Politicians, they can screw their fiat ponzi schemes.
In Canada you can buy gold, put it in your hands and then into your safety deposit box. No certificates to go fraud, no paper, the real gold. Best money going. Oil, well just own stock in a real oil producing field...pays dividends too. they appreaciate while GM depreciates.
Bought some litium stock too. Already up on that. Volt owners will be in for a shocking replacement battery replacemnt cost. But I think it will be others...but saying, lithium prices are up big time.
Sure beats fizziling spending power of USD Stock.
Buying gold and diamonds can be tricky for ordinary people.
How do you know you have the real thing?
Evaluating this by experts means you have to be able to trust the expert.
All kinds of fraud and scams are always out there.
The old rulers made coins of gold and then they started to put less and less real gold in the coins.
It would be great if we managed to get some way of currency that does not change so that the prices stay the same over time.
This paper carousel we are on now is very strange.
I have several vouchers for this and that like I have vouchers for entries to swimming pools and that is sort of local currency.
I have some such vouchers that are 40 years old a still valid for one visit to a swimming pool and I have tried to use them recently and it works.
The airplane and credit card companies have tried to create local currencies with points you get when buying something and you are supposed to be able to use the points to buy something later.
Unfortunately those points lose value after some time.
Lets say you could buy vouchers for hamburgers.
You buy 10 vouchers and in 10 years time you can still get a hamburger per voucher.
It is not so with the dollars.
Put away enough dollars to buy 10 hamburgers and wait 10 years and you will surely not be able to get 10 hamburgers for them.
I would not buy diamonds. But gold, I just go down to my bank, buy it, pick it up and go to the safety deposit box. But I am in Canada. If you are in the US, I think it is different. Find a reputable coin manufacture. As owning bullion in the US may not be legal or have issues, but one ounce coins are legal.
No vouchers. A voucher is only as good as who backs it and I have hear much of gold vouchers are over sold or based on futures. No, you want your paws on it. So if currency becomes worthless you could literally take an ounce and by a whole lot of food instead of coming up with $20k for it.
USA is in the same spot as German was when its currency crapped before WW II. Zimbabwe tried what the US is doing today and $1,000,000 wouldn't buy you a loaf of bread. But if you bought gold....
Wrong on the engines 4 Cylinders are made in Tennessee and 6 cylinders are made in Canada. The engines that went into the Trackers, Sidekicks they came from China
Daughters new Ford Escape has a Mexican made engine. I think the sticker indicated it was 65 percent US made.
And I told her not to get a Chev Equinox because the engine was made in China.
I bought the most American made vehicle I could find in its class three years ago. Dodge Nitro with 85 percent US made on the sticker. The damn transmission shifts weird, I have taken it in twice, dealer tells me it is normal, no more Dodges at my house.
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