Would you be more willing these days to buy an American car?
Posted at 5:00 AM on October 22, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(24 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Transportation
G.M. and Ford are profitable again, and sales of American cars are up 11 percent from last year. Today's Question: Would you be more willing these days to buy an American car?
Comments (24)
Given the means, sure, how about a Tesla?
I am mostly interested in a car with good gas mileage that can also force its way through the snow drifts that get left in the middle of intersections every winter. My friendly Japanese Subaru (made in Indiana) does just that.
What is "An American car?" 51% of GM, an American company, is held by a company in Shanghai while Toyota, a Japanese firm, manufactures in the United States. I purchased my Honda based on it's performance, price, and mileage. That is what is most important to me.
As i have only owned one vehicle my self i will always buy american. Its nothing against imports but i get a sense of satisfaction from driving American made. And personally i am a Ford guy.
Not me, and not a General Motors vehicle within the next 400 years.
However, I want to encourage everyone else to buy a Ford, as I'm a shareholder.
A study looked at 200,000 mile original engines never opened for a wide array of cars to evaluate which maufacturers could meet their original milage and emissions specifications. The very short list was Porsche and Honda.
Honda engines including those made in Ohio, USA are rated the cleanest & most fuel efficient worldwide.
In the late '70s and early to mid- '80s, the Detroit's cars had horrible quality problems. It wasn't until people got over their squeamishness about buying foreign cars that Detroit wised up and started improving quality. I'm proud to say I contributed to Detroit's improvement by buying Japanese in the mid-'80s. Next time I need a car, if the American ones are better, that's what I'll buy.
American Honda produced 8 % fewer cars in the United States in 2009 than the production leader - GM. Honda produced more cars in the USA than Ford and Chrysler combined! When you talk about American made, you better state that Honda, Toyota and Nissan all produce more cars in the USA than FOrd or Chrysler. Long live American workers.
Lets turn the question on its head, shall we....
Are American car companies willing to pursue, honestly, better gas mileage cars and drop this "Land Yacht".
What is the average SUV's mileage? 10 gallons to the mile?
The oil industry and car industry in the US seems to heavily tied together, both on paper and just those running, on board of directors, or business partnerships.
SUV's are tanks, they are hard to maneuver, are dangers to others on the road, and the drivers seem to suffer more road rage. After all when you have a ego and no one wants to argue with a SUV you are more prone to make your opinion known.
American car companies need to keep a affordable and high gas mileage car available. Affordable also seems to cause a alergic reaction to them....
I WOULD PREFER a american made car, where workers from begining to end were here so the money put into making it has a chance to STAY in the USA.
But too many American cars have the parts created elsewhere, and only the last step made here.....
Maybe it requires the destruction of NAFTA and the other agreements we have with other countries to make this possible.
So: Are American Car Companies willing to make a car I want to buy?
Not that I can see.
Sorry, but Kia is what I own.
5 years and not a problem so far.
not sure-american cars are very good but so are foreign-america cars are getting better so yes i would buy american!
Yes, in fact, just purchased an American car this week after considering a number of vehicles, both foreign and domestic. For this comment, foreign would describe any non-US company, not manufacturing location.
After looking at the looking at the JD Powers Initial Quality reports and comparing the content of comparable vehicles for the price paid, the American vehicle won the analysis hands down. Most of the foreign vehicle companies did not offer the same value.
I find the criticism of the quality of domestic vehicle interesting. Study after study has shown that not only is domestic vehicle quality consistently improving, in a number of cases, it surpasses those from foreign manufactures. At the same time, when a negative report is made about a foreign manufacturer, the report is either dismissed as biased or completely ignored. Toyota is a perfect example; it GM needed recall over ten million vehicles in one year, people would be arguing that the company should be closed. Where is the chorus of complaints against Toyota?
Yes, even Toyota makes mistakes and this year, they made a lot of them. Does that fact make them a bad company? No, it does not. At the same time, they do not deserve to be placed on a pedestal like some model of perfection either, which they are not.
Oh BTW the fiesta is a European design, made in Mexico, probably mostly out of foriegn (chinese) parts. Thee only thing American about the big 3 these days is where their corporate offices and over-paid executives live.
There are three auto manufacturers that I would consider buying a car from. Here they are in order of precedence:
Honda
Toyota
Ford
I will never buy something Chrysler made. Though their most recent cars look great and are stylish, it's what's under the hood that concerns me (and my mechanic). Regarding GM, they have made nothing but cheap cars for years and the fact that they bought out Saturn (after turning them loose) and then dissolved them merely reinforces my opinion that GM can't manage themselves. Saturn was actually a success story and I am really sorry to see them go. Finally, it was only Ford that didn't take the government assistance bail out and that says a lot for them and the way they do business.
I would buy a Ford again when they make a car I would want. That new fiesta is looking tempting. Will have to wait and see if the quality is as good as they say. I've had nothuing but trouble with every dodge and gm I've owned, tho they were all used.
We shouldnt be bailing any car maker out, the most "American car" these days is a Toyota followed by a Honda. Gm only has one in the top ten and crystler has none. They are all chinese made pieces of crap.
Yes, though really I would only consider a Ford. From what I've been reading (and seeing), the quality of their vehicles has really increased in the past years, and I'm really excited to see the new global Focus come on the US market in 2012. GM will need to step it up more to impress me. (The Cruze is a step in the right direction, as is the Volt, but they still have a ways to go)
Re: Marshall - yes, our fuel efficiency standards are VERY low compared to Europe, and even when it comes to German brands, the models that come to the US lag far behind the models available in Europe in fuel efficiency (primarily because they have embraced diesel engines in many, many models, not just VW's TDI line.
Myself, I just traded in my old Japanese-made car for a Mini Cooper. Just plain fun to drive compared to any comparable "American-made" model.
Have you ever looked into where the parts come from for “Made in the USA” autos?
China, Mexico, Canada are the top three.
I own a Toyota Tacoma… Made in Fremont, California. (With domestic and imported parts)
My wife just traded in a Subaru (made in Georgia) for a GMC (made in Michigan.)
The name plate on the vehicle does not say as much as it used to.
I do try and keep American engineers and assemblers in work. The major profits all go to corporate thieves (domestic and imported) anyway.
∑
DTOM
GM cars are crap and always have been. I made one $25,000 mistake and will never ever purchase another GM car. They should have let them go bankrupt. Consumers speak with their wallets and we all know GM still makes crap cars. I would buy a used toyota with 100,000 miles before I ever purchased another GM vehicle. How about all those Americans who work for Toyota, Nissan, VW, Audi,ect in the U.S.? They work just as hard as GM workers?
There should be no other option.....keeping Americans working. I own a Chevrolet Malibu and will only consider purchasing another one when the time comes. It was built in the United States by union labor, is a quality product, and I enjoy driving it. Jobs in the automotive industry and good paying manufacturing jobs, just the kind we can't afford to lose any longer. That said, it's also time for the Big Three to stop outsourcing their parts products to China and other cheap labor places. The whole vehicle needs to be manufactured from parts and materials made in the United States.
I own a Chevy and I will buy a Chevy again. One, American made cars keeps jobs in America. Two, I think American made cars are better quality overall.
I do think that American manufactures need to get better at increasing fuel efficiency to the same levels as foreign made cars. They are certainly on the way though with cars like the Chevy Cruze Eco.
I will not even consider electric or hybrid cars as an option until better technology exists for the mining of nickel used in the batteries. From what I have read, the mining process for nickel is far more harmful to the environment than carbon emissions from regular gas vehicles. What good is 100 miles to the gallon if the environment is still being acutely damaged?
Yes. The Ford Festiva is the first american car I've ever seriously considered. Only problem is my 16 year old honda refuses to die.
Yes, I would be more willing to purchase an American made car when the time comes.
I am especially interested in the Chevy Volt and would like to take a very close look at other hybrids or electric cars as they enter the market.
And I agree with Marshall to an extent. My current conventional vehicle gets 38 MPG highway (36 average). If a hybrid can only achieve 40 MPG, I say these technologies need to be vastly improved.
I'd be willing to buy a more fuel efficient car. It would be great if an American company could make one and do so for a reasonable price. However American car companies have historically put more effort into outfitting the cockpit with distracting gizmos and more cupholders than they have improving fuel efficiency.
Electric cars are a start, as long as you realize that they are almost always powered by fossil fuels. Of course, the advantage is that when power generation switches to low- or no-carbon sources, the car moves with it. So whenever that happens, you'll be ready.
Real innovation would be a radical overhaul of our transportation system to provide better mass transit options for people outside the urban cores of our cities and to promote non-motorized transportation wherever possible. For low-density and rural areas these options are less viable, but it's unfortunate that even first-ring suburbanites are stuck with their cars, whether they want them or not.
*Please note: I'm not advocating that people be denied car ownership and the freedom it provides. Rather, I would like to see a wider range of options made available to those of us who want them.
No. Fuel efficiency standards are ridiculously low. We need electric cars. Hybrid gas/electric from Toyota that's coming soon will be my choice. It's been reported it will get over 100 miles/gallon. That's innovation.
| October 2010 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | ||||||
Master Archive
Recent Entries
- Have changes to the airline passenger experience affected your willingness to fly?
- Should marijuana be available for medical use in Minnesota?
- Do the struggles of Minnesota's business icons signal trouble for the state's economy?
- Do you know whether insurance would cover your losses in a major storm?
- What kind of recycling program would you be likely to use the most?
- Would you support paying people for organ or tissue donations?
- Have personal relationships in the workplace ever presented a problem for you?
- Do you think Facebook is a passing fad?
- Will you be less likely to visit the Minnesota Zoo without its dolphins?
- Should authorities in the Twin Cities change the way they warn people about tornadoes?
Public Insight Network
The Public Insight Network draws upon your experiences to help shape our coverage.More
Categories
Services
In The Spotlight
-
Sound Learning
Looking for ways to ensure your students are doing quality research from credible sources? Sound Learning is a launching point to Minnesota Public Radio's content on the Web. -
The Current Music Blog
Your daily note for good music, news and pop culture. With attempted jokes.
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock