Angry Ford dealer in SC calls imports "rice ready...not road ready"

Yeah I'm pretty sure its made by Diahatsu or whoever. I was just pointing out how sad the small car selection from the big 3 is.

Having said that though, the Ford Focus is great; I got one of those in replacement for the bad Aveo and I liked it all around. I was very close to buying one over my Prius, but the technology on the Prius made it too hard to resist.

 

well the 4 door aveo is nice the 5doors is not!
and its deawoo(indonesian? ) thats now already years in hand off Chevy.
the aveo is 1000e cheaper then the focus over here in EU.

 

Daewoo is a South Korean company owned by General Motors through General Motors Holden. General Motors are also investing huge dollars in India to manufacture cars there first for the domestic market but you can rest assured as soon as the quality of the product meets GMs mediocre standard they will start manufacturing cars for the US market.

You might love the Aveo but it doesn't meet my #1 requirement that my car is built by bud drinking yankie auto workers in the good old US of A.

Daihatsu are a Japanese company who make trucks and did make cars like the Daihatsu Charade and may still make cars. I know only that the Daihatsu car dealers disapeared from Australia but the trucks do well here. Toyota own a large chunk of Daihatsu and they make a good quality product. Some Daihatsu trucks had Toyota engines.

 

the aveo is first sold here under the deawo brand and then got the Chevy logo
so these aveo´s are already build in korea.

the current toyota prius is nog build by those bud drinkers
YET.

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...s-rice-ready-not-road-ready-6.html#post759076
Read post 57 in this thread to see where I'm coming from.

 

This guy is toast! He offended so many people that anyone in their right mind will steer clear of him.

 

I have to agree about the Focus. We rented one for a climbing trip. It was very nice, had good mileage, and was fun to drive.

When we started car shopping, the Focus was on our short list. The technology and great fuel mileage of the Prius won.

Tom

 

Do you get the Focus Coupe in the USA?


Are Ford's Focus made in the USA?

 

With the auto collapse in the Senate; I hope my Prius does not become a victim of a hate crime. :-(

 

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No we don't have the Coupe. Ford USA is still selling the first generation Focus that was introduced in 2000. They have also discontinued hatchbacks and wagon. Currently are only offered a 2 door or 4 door sedan.

​

If you are like Europe, Australia is getting the 3rd generation Focus. If we want that platform in the US we have to buy a Mazda 3. The US will get the 3rd generation Focus in 2010

Yes, the Focus is made in the US for the US market. It is made in Wayne, Michigan.

We will also get the Fiesta in 2011 but it will be made in Mexico at the plant that already makes it for the Central American market.

 

I'd rather send a portion of my money to Japan than send regular checks to OPEC and al Qaeda supporters. Patriotism makes that choice pretty easy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. When an American car company makes a useful car that gets at least 40 mpg (mixed driving) for under $30K, it'll be top on my list of car choices. But they haven't so far, so I haven't been able to do that. The Vibe and the Focus are good choices, but still need another 10 mpg.

But it's not just management choices in what vehicles we are offered, the UAW made it pretty clear yesterday the unions are a big part of the problem in Detroit.

 

Toyota's Camry is comprised 80 percent of parts made in the United States, and 56 percent of Toyota's vehicles sold in the U.S. also are made here, according to Toyota spokeswoman Sona Iliffe-Moon. The Toyota Sienna and Tundra also have 80 percent of their parts manufactured in the U.S.
Looks like my wife and 7000+workers in Georgetown are not sending much money to Japan.Put that in your pipe and smoke it

 

What's 20% of the value of every camry, Tundra and Sienna sold in the US. lets see, 642,000 vehicles @ $20,000/vehicle(conservative)=$12,840,000,000. 20% of that is $2,568,000,000 thorugh November. Is $3 billion much money? It is in my world.

 

From Cars.com which does a domestic-content index every 6 months based on data from the NHTSA.

Toyota Camry/Solara: 68% for '08, down from 78% for '07
Honda Accord: 60% for '08, down from 65% for '07
Toyota Corolla: 50% for '09, down from 65% for '08
Toyota Matrix: 65% for '09, down from 75% for '08

and

By most measures, Detroit automakers come out ahead. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration measures domestic-parts content ratings across the industry. Among the 58 models with ratings of 75 percent or higher, foreign-based automakers produce just eight. Conversely, Detroit automakers produce just 24 of the 140 models with domestic content ratings of 10 percent or less. (We group Mazda and Volvo under Ford, as Ford owns major stakes in both brands.)

and

"Still, it's hard to deny that among the most popular U.S.-built cars and trucks, the models with the highest domestic content ratings come from Detroit automakers. Of the 35 most popular U.S.-built 2008 and 2009 models — based on sales through May 31, 2008 — 43 percent of GM, Ford and Chrysler contenders had domestic content ratings of 75 percent or higher. In comparison, just 25 percent of the Nissan, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota models on the list achieved that."

A Closer Look at Domestic-Parts Content - Cars.com

 

you used the 20% goes to Japan but left out the 80% that dont go.
Looking at a Ford Fusion? It is assembled in Mexico. The Chrysler 300C is assembled in Canada, but its transmission is from Indiana; the brand's V-8 engine is made in Mexico. Engines in the Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicle are from China.
Is that ok with you?

 

No it is not ok with me, but to comare the contirbutions to the US economy that Toyota makes with GM or Ford is ludicrous. Those kinds of statements have gone unchallenged in the MSM for far too lnog and have now taken on a life of their own. If they had even a grain of truth to them do you think the US would consider loaning money to Detroit? Ford makes cars in Mexico, GM makes cars in Canada, toyota makes cars in the US are midgets and giants and have no business beinng taken as the rule.

 

From a Canadian perspective, it's laughable that Americans are whining about the free trade agreement not being in their favour.

Exactly. And it's not just the consumer trying to save money and exporting jobs. It's companies looking for cheap workers and raw materials, setting up special economic zones in other countries to circumvent local labour and environmental laws.

Free trade works when countries focus on what they do best, and not when they prop up inefficient industries. The way out of this is to decide where the advantages are, and develop them. With the skills and resources available, what can the US do better than anyone else?

 

Here is a current article on CNN's website. I can't vouch for its accuracy, so use your own discretion:

Full article: What makes a car American? - CNN.com

 

Still waiting Malorn, what have you got for me in your GM dealership?
Or are you still selling on flag waving patriotism?

 

I don't have the equivalent of the Prius yet, but I have any other need covered and likely with better mileage.