Amazing, simply amazing! In my estimation, if GM keeps bringing decent vehicles back to the American market place, and if the (now smitten) fickle American car buying public will actually go down to a GM dealer and test drive these new and vastly improved GM products, I honestly think that GM (like the infamous Phoenix Bird) will rises from the ashes and give the import car companies a real run for their money! The problem I see is getting automotive publications to give the American Auto Manufactures a break and quit showing bias towards the foreign auto makers such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Nissan and especially, Honda!
Fair is fair, and although those makes of vehicles sell well in the USA, we can't get a foot inside Japan with American products, even though many Japanese consumers would love to get their hands on some decent American products, the Japanese Govt. still attaches a huge tax on our products (Protectionism at it very blatant worst) and continues to flood our market with their products. The Japanese are not our friends and all they want to do is quite simply...take over the US automotive market and at the rate they are going (if things continue as they are going) we might be seeing the demise of the Domestic Auto Manufacture! Where is our Protectionism here in the USA! Why can't we do what the Japanese do...protect our economy by taxing all of their products made here...and there! They have the money to "pay up"...and then perhaps there will be some sort of equality between their cost per vehicle and the domestic manufactures cost per vehicle. "Fair trade", not "Free trade" with Japan should be employed by our government. Lets balance the playing field here folks!
One more thought....an auto made in the USA by a foreign company is not a Domestic vehicle, it is "foreign vehicle manufactured in the USA" by American labor. The monies made from the sale of those foreign owned companies vehicles does not totally stay in the USA, while a Domestic Auto Manufactures monies can mostly go back into the USA through taxes, and by building most of it's product in the USA. Although true, a lot of Domestic's (from GM, Ford and Chrysler) are made in Canada and Mexico, this poses no threat (in my estimation) to our economy because the "Big Three" has their headquarters, engineering and design mostly right in the USA. The assembly plants in Canada and Mexico that build American designed autos ship them to the USA for sale here and some monies go back into more development for more domestic vehicles...not to a foreign soil business like Toyota, Honda, ect.
It will be up to The BIg Three (Domestic Manufactures) to continue to play "catch up" with some foreign makes, but looking at the J.D. Powers Surveys as of late, the U.S. firms are closing the gap with Japan and Europe, and that my friends can't be a bad thing. The USA once again has to prove that it can compete...all they are asking for is an even break on the playing field. What have you got to lose, try a new GM, Ford or Chrysler product and if it does not meet your idea of what it is that you are looking for in a vehicle, then let them know! I think that they would love to hear from all of you consumers out there...oh, and if they do meet your ideals, for god sakes don't be afraid to try one again! I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good and how far the domestics have come in the last five years!
Personally, I drive a Saturn SUV and a GMC truck, they have proven (to me) to be as reliable & decent performing vehicle as any others that I have purchased in the last 5 or 6 years. The dealer service has been exceptional (in both cases) and I am totally satisfied with both vehicles. I could have purchased a Toyota, or Nissan or Honda, but these particular vehicles have served me well. Yes, I take some flak for purchasing these vehicles from my "know it all neighbors" who laugh at me behind my back, but you know what...I sleep well at night knowing that I, along with millions of other Americans that have purchased American Domestic vehicles, made the right decision...for me, my family and millions of Americans who's paychecks depend on American consumers purchasing Domestic owned business products.
Photo Comments (Page 1 of 1)
iQuack (07/19/07 @ 03:49AM)
I like it. Seems that GM is coming back from the dead and cars like the Opel/Saturn are winners.
Among domestic car companies, GM has the best chance for a recovery based on its upcoming products.
Ford and Chrysler remain pathetic IMO because most of their cars are mediocre and decidedly inferior when compared with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or GM.
Dick La Grasta (12/03/07 @ 10:44PM)
Amazing, simply amazing! In my estimation, if GM keeps bringing decent vehicles back to the American market place, and if the (now smitten) fickle American car buying public will actually go down to a GM dealer and test drive these new and vastly improved GM products, I honestly think that GM (like the infamous Phoenix Bird) will rises from the ashes and give the import car companies a real run for their money! The problem I see is getting automotive publications to give the American Auto Manufactures a break and quit showing bias towards the foreign auto makers such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Nissan and especially, Honda!
Fair is fair, and although those makes of vehicles sell well in the USA, we can't get a foot inside Japan with American products, even though many Japanese consumers would love to get their hands on some decent American products, the Japanese Govt.
still attaches a huge tax on our products (Protectionism at it very blatant worst) and continues to flood our market with their products. The Japanese are not our friends and all they want to do is quite simply...take over the US automotive market and at the rate they are going (if things continue as they are going) we might be seeing the demise of the Domestic Auto Manufacture! Where is our Protectionism here in the USA! Why can't we do what the Japanese do...protect our economy by taxing all of their products made here...and there! They have the money to "pay up"...and then perhaps there will be some sort of equality between their cost per vehicle and the domestic manufactures cost per vehicle. "Fair trade", not "Free trade" with Japan
should be employed by our government. Lets balance the playing field here folks!
One more thought....an auto made in the USA by a foreign company is not a Domestic vehicle, it is "foreign vehicle manufactured in the USA" by American labor.
The monies made from the sale of those foreign owned companies vehicles does not totally stay in the USA, while a Domestic Auto Manufactures monies can mostly go back into the USA through taxes, and by building most of it's product in the USA. Although true, a lot of Domestic's (from GM, Ford and Chrysler) are made in Canada and Mexico, this poses no threat (in my estimation) to our economy because the "Big Three" has their headquarters, engineering and design mostly right in the USA. The assembly plants in Canada and Mexico that build American designed autos
ship them to the USA for sale here and some monies go back into more development
for more domestic vehicles...not to a foreign soil business like Toyota, Honda, ect.
It will be up to The BIg Three (Domestic Manufactures) to continue to play "catch up" with some foreign makes, but looking at the J.D. Powers Surveys as of late, the U.S.
firms are closing the gap with Japan and Europe, and that my friends can't be a bad thing. The USA once again has to prove that it can compete...all they are asking for is an even break on the playing field. What have you got to lose, try a new GM, Ford or Chrysler product and if it does not meet your idea of what it is that you are looking for in a vehicle, then let them know! I think that they would love to hear from all of you consumers out there...oh, and if they do meet your ideals, for god sakes don't be afraid to try one again! I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good and how far the domestics have come in the last five years!
Personally, I drive a Saturn SUV and a GMC truck, they have proven (to me) to be as reliable & decent performing vehicle as any others that I have purchased in the last 5 or 6 years. The dealer service has been exceptional (in both cases) and I am totally satisfied with both vehicles. I could have purchased a Toyota, or Nissan or Honda, but these particular vehicles have served me well. Yes, I take some flak for purchasing these vehicles from my "know it all neighbors" who laugh at me behind my back, but you know what...I sleep well at night knowing that I, along with millions
of other Americans that have purchased American Domestic vehicles, made the right decision...for me, my family and millions of Americans who's paychecks depend on
American consumers purchasing Domestic owned business products.