Detroit Vs Japan
Guest
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Re: Detroit Vs Japan
But since labor costs are still so low in many countries, it's no wonder why
businesses (and not just American businesses) are shifting production to
those countries.
As far as the Japanese building a better car, I think among major auto
manufacturers the quality gap is so small now that it's a crap shoot in
trying to determine who builds a "better" car. In the 70's and 80's, it was
easier to measure since compared to Japanese imports, American cars of that
time were overpriced, gas-guzzling, often-repaired, poorly-built piles of
crap. But the industry adjusted and stepped up their game to match the
Japanese. Nowadays, the quality gap is more public perception than a
quantified, measurable phenomenon.
Case in point...Every car I have ever owned was built by a US manufacturer
until about two years ago when we decided to lease a Honda minivan for the
wifey. Nice vehicle, had the features we wanted, etc, but it had a major
factory defect that eventually forced them to buy it back under the Michigan
lemon law. And in the interim, American carmakers introduced refinements in
their products that brought us to lease a Ford Freestar instead.
FWIW, living in suburban Detroit, we probably see a lot fewer imports than
in other parts of the country, anyway. I visit my parents in Arkansas and
probably half of the cars down there are imports. I can only imagine how
many imports you see, Bill...
And on that note, it's interesting to see that many parts on my Ford
products and TJ are assembled in Mexico...my next-door neighbor, a German
with a Mexican wife, works for an international OEM auto supplier, with
plants in Mexico, France, Germany, UK, and USA (he currently works as
production manager at the US plant here in Michigan). When the TJ when it
was introduced, his company made the anti-sway bar assemblies at their
Mexico plant, which is where he was stationed at the time. The company
supplies parts (mainly insulation and acoustic panels) for every major
carmarker in the world.
"L.W. ("ßill") ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:42940278.E3F1A84D@***.net...
> The World wage blew past us ten years ago:
> http://www.phil.frb.org/files/br/brma98sg.pdf And the stupid people in
> this thread still think dollar per dollar the Japanese can build a
> better car than Americans.
> God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
> mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/
>
> Matt Macchiarolo wrote:
>>
>> While this may have been the norm in the past, it is rapidly becoming
>> obsolete thinking. Yes, wages are much less overseas (in Asia especially)
>> but costs of living are also much lower as well; the wage/cost of living
>> gap
>> in these regions are wider than the West, but the gap is rapidly
>> closing.
>> "Sweat shop" factories really aren't as prevalent as most of us in the
>> West
>> think; in the case of automotive manufacturers, most of these Asian
>> plants
>> are as state-of-the-art as any in the West and are staffed by workers who
>> want those jobs because they pay better than anything else around.
>>
>> In a nutshell, the world business climate is changing, and the next
>> three
>> to five generations of Americans are going to be left behind if they
>> aren't
>> prepared for it.
>>
>> Reading suggestion: "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman.
businesses (and not just American businesses) are shifting production to
those countries.
As far as the Japanese building a better car, I think among major auto
manufacturers the quality gap is so small now that it's a crap shoot in
trying to determine who builds a "better" car. In the 70's and 80's, it was
easier to measure since compared to Japanese imports, American cars of that
time were overpriced, gas-guzzling, often-repaired, poorly-built piles of
crap. But the industry adjusted and stepped up their game to match the
Japanese. Nowadays, the quality gap is more public perception than a
quantified, measurable phenomenon.
Case in point...Every car I have ever owned was built by a US manufacturer
until about two years ago when we decided to lease a Honda minivan for the
wifey. Nice vehicle, had the features we wanted, etc, but it had a major
factory defect that eventually forced them to buy it back under the Michigan
lemon law. And in the interim, American carmakers introduced refinements in
their products that brought us to lease a Ford Freestar instead.
FWIW, living in suburban Detroit, we probably see a lot fewer imports than
in other parts of the country, anyway. I visit my parents in Arkansas and
probably half of the cars down there are imports. I can only imagine how
many imports you see, Bill...
And on that note, it's interesting to see that many parts on my Ford
products and TJ are assembled in Mexico...my next-door neighbor, a German
with a Mexican wife, works for an international OEM auto supplier, with
plants in Mexico, France, Germany, UK, and USA (he currently works as
production manager at the US plant here in Michigan). When the TJ when it
was introduced, his company made the anti-sway bar assemblies at their
Mexico plant, which is where he was stationed at the time. The company
supplies parts (mainly insulation and acoustic panels) for every major
carmarker in the world.
"L.W. ("ßill") ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:42940278.E3F1A84D@***.net...
> The World wage blew past us ten years ago:
> http://www.phil.frb.org/files/br/brma98sg.pdf And the stupid people in
> this thread still think dollar per dollar the Japanese can build a
> better car than Americans.
> God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
> mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/
>
> Matt Macchiarolo wrote:
>>
>> While this may have been the norm in the past, it is rapidly becoming
>> obsolete thinking. Yes, wages are much less overseas (in Asia especially)
>> but costs of living are also much lower as well; the wage/cost of living
>> gap
>> in these regions are wider than the West, but the gap is rapidly
>> closing.
>> "Sweat shop" factories really aren't as prevalent as most of us in the
>> West
>> think; in the case of automotive manufacturers, most of these Asian
>> plants
>> are as state-of-the-art as any in the West and are staffed by workers who
>> want those jobs because they pay better than anything else around.
>>
>> In a nutshell, the world business climate is changing, and the next
>> three
>> to five generations of Americans are going to be left behind if they
>> aren't
>> prepared for it.
>>
>> Reading suggestion: "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Detroit Vs Japan
"L.W. (ßill) ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:4293ED03.76DF7BF4@***.net...
> Maybe, a better place for you to go would be Cuba, and count their
> Japanese cars: http://www.danheller.com/cuba-cars.html
Pretty amazing that there's no cars from the '60s, or '70s
in those pictures... in fact, I challenge you to show me a
picture of an American car made after Castro took power
ending up in Cuba... I don't think you can! As far as
*many* ending up there, complete hogwash.... you pulled
that one from where the sun don't shine. Perhaps Cuba
would be a good place for you... they have no Japanese
cars, since there's an embargo and Japan is one of our
best allies.
__
Steve
..
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Detroit Vs Japan
"L.W. (ßill) ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:4293ED03.76DF7BF4@***.net...
> Maybe, a better place for you to go would be Cuba, and count their
> Japanese cars: http://www.danheller.com/cuba-cars.html
Pretty amazing that there's no cars from the '60s, or '70s
in those pictures... in fact, I challenge you to show me a
picture of an American car made after Castro took power
ending up in Cuba... I don't think you can! As far as
*many* ending up there, complete hogwash.... you pulled
that one from where the sun don't shine. Perhaps Cuba
would be a good place for you... they have no Japanese
cars, since there's an embargo and Japan is one of our
best allies.
__
Steve
..
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Detroit Vs Japan
"L.W. (ßill) ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:4293ED03.76DF7BF4@***.net...
> Maybe, a better place for you to go would be Cuba, and count their
> Japanese cars: http://www.danheller.com/cuba-cars.html
Pretty amazing that there's no cars from the '60s, or '70s
in those pictures... in fact, I challenge you to show me a
picture of an American car made after Castro took power
ending up in Cuba... I don't think you can! As far as
*many* ending up there, complete hogwash.... you pulled
that one from where the sun don't shine. Perhaps Cuba
would be a good place for you... they have no Japanese
cars, since there's an embargo and Japan is one of our
best allies.
__
Steve
..
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Detroit Vs Japan
"L.W. (ßill) ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:4293ED03.76DF7BF4@***.net...
> Maybe, a better place for you to go would be Cuba, and count their
> Japanese cars: http://www.danheller.com/cuba-cars.html
Pretty amazing that there's no cars from the '60s, or '70s
in those pictures... in fact, I challenge you to show me a
picture of an American car made after Castro took power
ending up in Cuba... I don't think you can! As far as
*many* ending up there, complete hogwash.... you pulled
that one from where the sun don't shine. Perhaps Cuba
would be a good place for you... they have no Japanese
cars, since there's an embargo and Japan is one of our
best allies.
__
Steve
..
Guest
Posts: n/a
OT: Where to move to (was:Re: Detroit Vs Japan)
"L.W. (ßill) ------ III" <----------@***.net> wrote in message
news:4293E422.C5F04A18@***.net...
> I think you should move to Japan.
So what? I think you should move to
Iran... you'd like the mullahs, they think
a lot like you do.
__
Steve
..
