Information Gleaned from Domestic Content Labels

So what this says is the Camry car line has a higher percentage of 'domestic' parts than the Mustang?!?! Cool!

And that also explains why a Camry with a "J" VIN had 75% Domestic content (in 2005)

I would guess that a Mustang GT Automatic probably has a domestic content closer to 85%, and the V-6 Automatic is probably less that 60%. But that is only a guess.

I imagine a "J" Camrys actually had a Domestic Content of 0%. The Domestic Content label has nothing to do with the domestic content of any particular Camry, just the theoretical average Camry sold in the US. This implies that US built 2005 Camrys must have had a Domestic Content of around 80% to offset the imported Camrys low domestic content.

Ed

Also, some parts probably came from the US. Toyota actually imports catalytic convertors into Japan.

While cats are expensive, that probably doesn't explain the 75% figure, though.

Jeff

Well, like CE said, the sticker covers the entire car line, not the car itself. That's why I was wondering why a Camry with a "J" VIN had the same content as one made in KY...

Well after looking at the domestic content labels, I have pretty much written them off as useless at best and at worst deliberately misleading. IF you actually cared about where the money was going for the car you are buying, the information presented is not nearly detailed enough. The Camry is a good example. If you were nationalistic and wanted to make sure your Camry had the highest possible US content, the labels don't tell you enough. The labels for all Camrys list exactly the same domestic content (however they do list the country of origin for the engine and transmission, and the final assembly location). With modern computers and inventory control, it would not be all that hard to print the actual domestic content on the window sticker for the car you are considering. However, based on the NHTSA link previously posted, it seems most Americans don't even know the labels exist, and even fewer actually care. And in some cases, I think the labels hurt the sale of "domestic" vehicles since some people apparently would refer their car to be assembled in Japan by Japanese workers. I guess they like the idea of being an economic colony of Japan. I guess I am lucky to have at least part of my income provided by providing raw materials / food. I am sure the Japanese will need to continue to import soybeans.

Ed

Since about 20% of Camrys are still built in Japan, this implies the existence of Camrys that are 100% American.

So, if I want an American car, I should run down to my Toyota dealer and simply pick one that was assembled here.

Thanks for the tip.

To put a label on the car that says, "the domestic content of THIS car is XX%" would require additional work that some car companies probably don't want to do. Wouldn't surprise me if their lobbyists worked against such a requirement.

Are ALL of those assembled in Mexico or is there a US factory, too? The Hermosillo plant is profiled in the "Bold Moves" video on the Fusion but whether or not there's also a US plant is unclear.

Now, if the run of the mill Camry is 80% domestic and most are also assembled here, is that car more or less "American" than a Fusion built of

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Ed, you're absolutely right that content information on the Origins Sticker refers to the entire car *line*, not the individual car. I swung by the Toyota dealership early this morning, and noticed that the Origins Sticker is worded quite differently this year for the new '07 Camrys.

The new wording leaves room for no ambiguity. Unlike last year's stickers, the new stickers now include the following phrase that clears up any confusion:

"Parts Content information for vehicles in this *CARLINE*: U.S./Canada parts content: 75%

The old stickers mentioned nothing about "Carline."

So Hachi, regarding the J-Vin Camrys, you can be excused for thinking last year that [QUOTE]: "the bodies are assembled in the US minus the drive trains, and then put on one of the Marus and sent back to Japan for final assembly. The reason? Who knows? Perhaps Toyota has to manufacture a certain amount of autos in Japan to still be considered a Japanese auto maker (?). My only other guess is that they are sending parts to Japan and then assembling them there." [END QUOTE]

Until the new Origins Stickers came out with the clear wording, we were all confused. But Hachi, buddy, you offered the wildest theories :-P

Doesn't bother me a whole lot. Hate to say it, but the Japanese made cars are made better...

What the Hell?!?! You archiving my posts for future reference?!?!? ;)

The stickers now say "For this car line" They didn't then, so I just made a wild guess. Hey, I was wrong before. And, you snipped the part where I said it was speculation!!!

Once...

Of course I do. Where would my Camry be without the Meguiar's Number-26 you recommended?

Here is a list for 2004 Model Year Cars -

LOL! Well, that's a good thing! Glad to see I have some purpose in life.

Tell that to Honda, who had to buy back our Odessey a few years ago under my state's lemon law....

The biggest problem with the labels is that labor is not included as part of the content. A Ford built in Mexico can have higher domestic content than a Toyota built in California, but the latter is built in a UAW plant providing living wages to workers. This suits the purposes of the U.S. based automakers who are desperately trying to move as much assembly outside the U.S. as possible, while touting "domestic content."

A vehicle that truly has high domestic content, and is assembled in the U.S., has no advantage (in terms of the label) over a vehicle that is manufactured elsewhere in North America with low domestic content. People pay no attention to the label anymore. OTOH, the Japanese manufacturers have done a good job of publicizing the fact that most of their mass marked vehicles are manufactured in the U.S..

The best way to support the U.S. economy is to buy vehicles made in the U.S.. You'll never figure out the true domestic content, so just go by where the factory is. This is especially useful for the Japanese companies, since they are sourcing as many components from the U.S. as possible because they want the component manufacturing close to the factory, and because they want to be shielded from currency issues caused by the massive U.S. deficits, courtesy of George Bush.

Are they really? How so? Which years?

Thanks,

Michael

In February, around 23% of the Camrys sold in the US were imported. This implies to me that the US assembled Camrys must be close to 100% domestic content (US + Canada) and that imported Camry must have >5% domestic content as well, or the labels are just wrong.

Seems that way, as long as you are buying a Camry.

With the sort of inventory control that modern manufacturers are using, I suspect it could be calculated easily and added to the standard window sticker with minimal effort. But given the way "domestic content" is defined, I am not sure it would be meaningful.

....

There is no US factory at this time. It seems that the Fusions are selling well, so maybe Ford will have to reconsider having them all built in Mexico.

I'd say that the Camry has many more hours of "US American" labor per car than the Fusion. As to where the money eventually goes, I have no idea. I do think it is inherently unfair to treat Mexico different than Canada. If a Fusion was built in Canada by Canadian workers, the domestic content would probably be over 90%.

Ed