Made in America?

Excerpts from [url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114731076341249773.html[/url]

By a crucial measure, the Toyota Sienna is far more American than the
Ford Mustang. Only 65% of the content of a Mustang comes from the US
or Canada. The Sienna is assembled in Indiana with 90% local
components.

There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has
launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to
patriotism. "Americans really do want to buy American brands,"
asserted Ford Executive VP Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will
compete vigorously to be America's car company."

As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is
American. The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both
sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota has been
running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the US
economy where it has built factories.

On Thursday, the Level Field Institute, a grass-roots organization
founded by US Big Three retirees, is scheduled to hold a news
conference in Washington. Among the points the group is expected to
make is its belief that comparing relative North American component
content is an ineffective way to determine who is "more American"
among auto makers. A better way, says Jim Doyle who heads Level Field,
is to look at the number of jobs each auto maker creates per car sold
in the US.

Mr. Doyle says the institute's study shows that Toyota in 2005
employed roughly three times more US workers per car sold in the US
than Hyundai Motor Co. Each of the Big Three manufacturers in the same
year employed roughly three times as many US workers as Toyota, on a
per-car-sold basis. "What's better for the American economy?" Mr.
Doyle asks. "A GM car built in Mexico with 147,000 jobs back here in
America, or a Honda built in Alabama with 4,000 or 5,000 jobs in
America?"

GM is importing Korean-made cars to sell under the Chevy nameplate.
Japanese car makers are using American designers for cars being sold
in China. Some of the high-end BMW "imports" are made in South
Carolina.

That said, the Japanese manufacturing presence in the US is growing.
Foreign-based auto makers in the US, led by the Japanese, account for
1.7% of US manufacturing jobs. After $28 billion in cumulative North
America investment - and annual purchases of parts reaching $45
billion or more in recent years - 67% of the Japanese-brand cars now
sold in North America are made in North America.


--

I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.

....Groucho Marx

>[color=blue]
> Mr. Doyle says the institute's study shows that Toyota in 2005
> employed roughly three times more US workers per car sold in the US
> than Hyundai Motor Co. Each of the Big Three manufacturers in the same
> year employed roughly three times as many US workers as Toyota, on a
> per-car-sold basis. "What's better for the American economy?" Mr.
> Doyle asks. "A GM car built in Mexico with 147,000 jobs back here in
> America, or a Honda built in Alabama with 4,000 or 5,000 jobs in
> America?"[/color]


OK, this WSJ article is suspect. The "Big Three" ceased to exist long ago,
and there certainly wasn't a "Big Three" back in 2005. There is a "Big TWO"
now, if anything. Big Three used to refer to the three DOMESTIC automakers,
namely GM, Ford and Chrysler. But one of them is a German company now,
Daimler Chrysler, or some such. You can't buy a domestic vehicle under the
Chrysler nameplate, so to refer to "the Big Three" at all in the year 2006
is a terrible mistake, unless you are writing some kind of historical piece.
Makes me wonder about all the other supposed facts referenced in the
article. -Dave

"Mike T." <noway@nohow.not> wrote in message
news:4464b032$0$16365$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net...[color=blue][color=green]
> >
>> Mr. Doyle says the institute's study shows that Toyota in 2005
>> employed roughly three times more US workers per car sold in the US
>> than Hyundai Motor Co. Each of the Big Three manufacturers in the same
>> year employed roughly three times as many US workers as Toyota, on a
>> per-car-sold basis. "What's better for the American economy?" Mr.
>> Doyle asks. "A GM car built in Mexico with 147,000 jobs back here in
>> America, or a Honda built in Alabama with 4,000 or 5,000 jobs in
>> America?"[/color]
>
>
> OK, this WSJ article is suspect. The "Big Three" ceased to exist long
> ago, and there certainly wasn't a "Big Three" back in 2005. There is a
> "Big TWO" now, if anything. Big Three used to refer to the three DOMESTIC
> automakers, namely GM, Ford and Chrysler. But one of them is a German
> company now, Daimler Chrysler, or some such. You can't buy a domestic
> vehicle under the Chrysler nameplate, so to refer to "the Big Three" at
> all in the year 2006 is a terrible mistake, unless you are writing some
> kind of historical piece. Makes me wonder about all the other supposed
> facts referenced in the article. -Dave
>[/color]

Yeah, you should be a WSJ fact finder!

"Steve" <mft@pks.inv> wrote in message
news:jba9621jf4la4sojimbs9u97j8qa3v79jh@4ax.com...[color=blue]
>
> Excerpts from [url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114731076341249773.html[/url]
>
> By a crucial measure, the Toyota Sienna is far more American than the
> Ford Mustang. Only 65% of the content of a Mustang comes from the US
> or Canada. The Sienna is assembled in Indiana with 90% local
> components.
>
> There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has
> launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to
> patriotism. "Americans really do want to buy American brands,"
> asserted Ford Executive VP Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will
> compete vigorously to be America's car company."
>
> As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is
> American. The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both
> sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota has been
> running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the US
> economy where it has built factories.
>
> On Thursday, the Level Field Institute, a grass-roots organization
> founded by US Big Three retirees, is scheduled to hold a news
> conference in Washington. Among the points the group is expected to
> make is its belief that comparing relative North American component
> content is an ineffective way to determine who is "more American"
> among auto makers. A better way, says Jim Doyle who heads Level Field,
> is to look at the number of jobs each auto maker creates per car sold
> in the US.
>
> Mr. Doyle says the institute's study shows that Toyota in 2005
> employed roughly three times more US workers per car sold in the US
> than Hyundai Motor Co. Each of the Big Three manufacturers in the same
> year employed roughly three times as many US workers as Toyota, on a
> per-car-sold basis. "What's better for the American economy?" Mr.
> Doyle asks. "A GM car built in Mexico with 147,000 jobs back here in
> America, or a Honda built in Alabama with 4,000 or 5,000 jobs in
> America?"
>
> GM is importing Korean-made cars to sell under the Chevy nameplate.
> Japanese car makers are using American designers for cars being sold
> in China. Some of the high-end BMW "imports" are made in South
> Carolina.
>
> That said, the Japanese manufacturing presence in the US is growing.
> Foreign-based auto makers in the US, led by the Japanese, account for
> 1.7% of US manufacturing jobs. After $28 billion in cumulative North
> America investment - and annual purchases of parts reaching $45
> billion or more in recent years - 67% of the Japanese-brand cars now
> sold in North America are made in North America.
>
>
> --
>
> I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.
>
> ...Groucho Marx[/color]

The Big Three now are GM, Ford and Toyota. DXC is in fourth place.

Steve wrote:[color=blue]
> Excerpts from [url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114731076341249773.html[/url]
>[/color]
[color=blue]
> Ford Executive VP Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will
> compete vigorously to be America's car company."[/color]

Dear Sir; You're a lyin' sack of shit!

You just closed the plant here, probably to "create" new jobs in Mexico.
Good riddance, hope you can sell them there, also.

ps: have to give ya points for Humanitarian progress in Mexico.
When workers tried to unionize, you fired All of them...then rehired
them at much lower wages. That's progress....haven't heard of
"disappearing" union organizers, like at your plants in Argentina,
back in the 70's.

"Jon von Leipzig" <Jonl@myday.com> wrote in message
news:4ckgk7F16i91bU1@individual.net...[color=blue]
> Steve wrote:[color=green]
>> Excerpts from [url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114731076341249773.html[/url][/color]
>[color=green]
>> Ford Executive VP Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will
>> compete vigorously to be America's car company."[/color]
>
> Dear Sir; You're a lyin' sack of shit!
>
> You just closed the plant here, probably to "create" new jobs in Mexico.
> Good riddance, hope you can sell them there, also.
>
> ps: have to give ya points for Humanitarian progress in Mexico.
> When workers tried to unionize, you fired All of them...then rehired them
> at much lower wages. That's progress....haven't heard of "disappearing"
> union organizers, like at your plants in Argentina,
> back in the 70's.
>[/color]

Check this out from the Onion:

Illegal immigrants returning to Mexico for American jobs
[url]http://www.theonion.com/content/node/47978[/url]