Manning

OK, I am really tired of over-paid, rust belt, zenophobic union workers giving me **** because I drive a car that isn't 'merican! I am looking for a good source of information regarding to exactly how much foreign content is in which American cars.

For instance, I am pretty sure the V6 in the Taurus I drove around in the late 80's was engineered/built by Yamaha, and Ford has a pretty significant relationship with Mazda. And I know GM does a lot with Toyota and, I think, Isuzu.

Porsche 944. There, now it has some content specific to this board.

Thanks

Luis de Prat

There've been some good articles on this subject in recent years in the good ol' Wall Street Journal.

One that particularly caught my attention featured the reverse of what you're asking. American-made content in European cars! Yessiree. Several A/C and power steering parts in the big Benz models are made by suppliers the "Heart of it All" state, Ohio.

And this didn't just start when Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler. The article indicated that several German automakers have had U.S. and/or Canadian-made components in their cars for years.

Just a thought.

Enzo's Nightmare

The Mercedes ML SUV is made in Alabama, right in the middle of what I would believe is union country. I saw their plant over the summer when I was working a hail storm in Tuscaloosa. The police also drive the ML.

Manning

Excellent. Same concept, different application. My thinking is that most of the folks that get a bug up their **** about foreign cars are more concerned with the fact that the brand is foreign owned. So, even though the Honda Civic my fiance drives was build across the way in Marysville, OH it is still a Japanese car, regardless of content and assembly. Heck, I even saw one website where DiamlerChrysler products are not considered American because of the German partnership (ownership?)

yoyoguy2

yeah, lots of japanese companies make their cars here rather than in japan, land for manufacturing is cheaper here, and you dont' have to ship the cars by boat after their built. i know that at least mitsubishi honda, and subaru build essentially all of their cars here. aren't most bmws made here now as well?

Peckster

Yamaha built the SHO engine for a while.

Some people believe in free trade, until it comes to their product. They'll demand lower prices for everything, but not if it affects them personally.

Tabor

[quote]Originally posted by Manning:
<strong>OK, I am really tired of over-paid, rust belt, zenophobic union workers giving me **** because I drive a car that isn't 'merican!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Why do you care? Do you play the banjo? No. Should you drive 'merican? No!

thomschoon

Many companies build plants in the USA to maintain cost structure and because the average USA factory worker is more productive than his peers. The average wage in most Japan/German/UK factories is comparable with the USA and there is less "Social Cost". An additional bonus is that it is significantly easier to reduce a labor force in the USA than any other place on the planet. This I know from experience, my role over the last few years has been to source capacity (factories)where they provide the greatest benefit to their shareholders. I have moved UK/Sweden/Hungary/Japan/China operations to provide irrational short term benefits to the shareholders. It may not be nice but it pays the bills.

Just by $.02

Manning

[quote] Why do you care? Do you play the banjo? No. Should you drive 'merican? No! <hr></blockquote>

Gee whiz Tabor, I'm not sure if your supporting or insulting me. I guess I should just turn an walk away and not get into it with these people, but I would like to point out that the F150 they are driving has a tranny that was built in Japan, or the Jeep they are driving is made in Mexico.

I guess ultimately it really isn't worth the fight.

I do play the banjo by the way.

Not really.

924RACR

I always make sure to decide very carefully whose opinions I bother worrying about... usually only those people I care about enough to share my opinions with in return.

WRT your question, its many and varied. American/not American is a meaningless concept now, except for simplistic dolts (ignoranuses?). I work for Bosch, in the Detroit area. I've been working on GM projects for the past 2 years, and will be for at least a few more years (it's true, there's no parole from hell). We have been doing ABS/TCS on GM cars since the Caprice (the big boat one, IIRC) and Fords since the original Taurus. We have stability control on the Olds Intrigue... same as on the Toyota Sienna and Avalon. Bend your ID10T union boys' minds around that... American engineers working in Detroit on Jap cars for a German company.

Hmmm, what else... plenty of German or Japanese content on plenty of US cars... which are more likely built in Canada or Mexico than Japanese or German cars. Powertrains, chassis, interiors, etc.

And then there's the OEMs themselves... Ford owns Jag, Aston Marten, Rover, Mazda, Volvo... VW owns Bentley and Rolls, Lambo, whatever else... And of course Daimler owns Chrysler... can't even keep track of who owns Daewoo, Kia, Hyundai... Fiat owns Ferrari and plenty others... VW owns Seat too... Automotive News or one of those trade magazines keeps track, publishes a list on occasion...

I get the impression you might be in the auto industry too? Check out autoextremist.com for a breath of fresh air...

Tabor

[quote]Originally posted by Manning:
<strong>Gee whiz Tabor, I'm not sure if your supporting or insulting me. </strong><hr></blockquote>

Neither really. I was only trying to impart that I don't think you can win in an argument with someone of that mindset. It was a joke, but it broke down when it turned out you play the banjo.

It is too bad that auto makers didn't have to publish the parts/assembly breakdown back in the day, that would make it really easy for you. Now everyone has to put it right on the window sticker.

To my knowledge neither final assembly nor parts sourcing was from the US. Porsche always tries to support German companies before going outside the country.

Manning

Hey Tabor, I was kidding about the banjo part, you missed the "Not really" on the next line. I had a feeling you were joking anyway.

Vaughan, let's just say family (or future family really) and others. Ironically, my future father-in-law, who is a steel worker, is the only one that gets it.

Tabor

oops, I saw "No really."