Modern GM Interiors

[custom442]

Uncle Truck got it right, the Ford Ranger isn't american as cashew chicken. If you buy a 4 cylinder one, its about 90% Mazda, but it is made in the US.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

My Nissan has a engine that is "Hencho En Mexico", Calsonic radiator ( US supplier), was built in Tennessee, etc. A Chevy Equinox has a V6 that is "Made In China", Camaros were Canadian, and the GTO was "Made in Australia", as will be the new Camaro. It is a global marketplace, so why not shop like it is one? If American brands are no longer American, why not patronize foreign companies that manufacture in this country and make better products than US brands do? I will continue to buy what makes the most economic sense over the long term for my life, not the New York Stock Exchange. I think most Americans will do the same.

 

[srercrcr]

The dollars need to flow to, yes the American stockholders. Do you have investments? 401k? etc. Also flow to engineers, stylists, janitors, local communities. Your brother-in-law, my uncle....fellow-Americans.

 

[Munkey B]

My Toyota Tacoma was built by Americans in California. It has an engine and transmission sourced from Japan. It is a combination of things with the big 3 that are the problem- management being number 1, the UAW being number 2, too much global sourcing from poor suppliers being number 3, and so on. GM, Ford, and Chrysler sold off their parts divisions because they had to, those divisions needed to sell on the global market to be competitive. American Axle, Visteon, Lear, Delco, Motorcraft, Harrison Radiator, among many others used to be divisions of the big 3 but no more. If a manufacturer doesn't keep a close eye on the quality levels from is suppliers or specify quality parts to begin with, the resulting cars will be junk. All manufacturers source parts from the global market, the assembly plants move those parts to the lines and assemble the cars just like giant model kits. The Japanese found the keys to quality assembly with precision made parts and dedication to quality assembly.

-UT-

that is the one and only key or keys. 😛

 

[HFX]

A bunch of things

It isn't so much that they get outside parts. It is that they buy inferior outside parts to save money that break and then those are the parts that end up failing. Then the unions got a lot of the blame for poor quality.

 

[HFX]

As for pride in work, all I will say is that if Americans were truly worthless and lazy, the Japanese would have never bothered building plants here. Where is the UAW in a Honda, Toyota or Nissan plant? Why don't those workers want to unionize?

Good question. Could be that they forcibly keep the union out, but I would bet the real reason is management. Manage people well and treat them fairly and they won't unionize. Even if you have a union, management can often decide how much workers want to exercise their union rights.

 

[dan2286]

You should hear some of the stories about the trucks/vans that come out of the Ford plant by me. There are alot of problems with them straight out of the factory!!

 

[srercrcr]

Oh no, you didn't go there! I am celebrating my 25th anniversary with my "purchased new" '83 Ford F150. It has been great to me. It is an excellent example of Detroit Iron being well made. From what I read the newer models have even better fit and finish.

 

[dan2286]

Oh no, you didn't go there! I am celebrating my 25th anniversary with my "purchased new" '83 Ford F150. It has been great to me. It is an excellent example of Detroit Iron being well made. From what I read the newer models have even better fit and finish.

Actually I think I was wrong about trucks. I think it is the heavy duty vans. I doubt these vans that were all messed up were ever let onto the road. I think it just shows that the workers dont always put there best into there work. I know about those older Ford trucks. I have seen some of them with over 300,000 miles with the same drivetrain, but the body was a different story. 8)

 

[custom442]

I'm not knockin Ford, but the 4 cylinder Ranger is a mazda with Ford stickers, and the Rangers since the mid/late 80's haven't been even close to a Ford truck except some of the drivetrain.

"A Mazda-designed compact pickup known as Mazda B-Series (International)) sold in more than 130 countries, and also sold with a Ford Ranger nameplate."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger