As many of you know I work for a "japanese" car manufacturer. And I hear on this site a lot of comments about 'imports' or 'jap-crap'...which is okay if that is how you really feel. I myself am not into the 'import-scene' I was raised around good ol' american iron. Big hulks of steel with motors weighing more than most newer cars do. I have always owned and driven American cars...mainly GM,some Ford and Chyrsler. But when I started working for the company I am employed at, I bought a good used Honda Civic hatchback.
Now as far as new cars being built do you know where most newer cars are being built? Try not to cheat and use the internet.
Lets start with the most obvious.
Honda
Nissan
Toyota
Hyundai
Kia
Subaru
Volkswagen
Ford
GM
Chrysler
How many are built in the US?

Later,
WEIMER

it's sort of hard to say, because dont MOST car manufacturers have multiple facilities? And I am assuming you are meaning cars meant for the AMERICAN market?
I am gonna say All even though I am not sure about Ford or VW, subaru(which is GM now?)

I have said this before, I would rather support an american worker and by a honda, than support an american company that builds elsewhere (like ford built in mexico)

I'll take a jab at some that I know of....



Corvette.... ALL are built here in Bowling Green Ky,same goes for the XLR Caddy.
Some Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers are built here in Louisville,the largest Explorer facility is here.
F250,and class 8 trucks,Sterling now instead of Ford Heavy Duty Tractors,are built here.
Toyota has a facility in Georgetown Ky that builds the Camry,plus they are preparing it to begin manufacturing of a hybrid vehicle
Not too far from Louisville in Indiana is the Toyota plant that produces some of the Toyota Tundras
Your manufacturing facility of course.Which I did not know about until I joined the board and learned a few things about the guys here
Atlanta had a facility that produced the Taurus,I do not know what they build there,but surely it is still functional.
Saturn manufacters vehicles in Spring Hills Tenn. At least their commercials will lead one to believe that
I believe that St. Louis also has an Explorer line,although it is much smaller than the Lou plant.
I like import cars,as long as they stay import cars,reliable,easy on fuel useful vehicles. When I dislike them,is after they put those Folgers cans on the back and a gauge on the A Pillar.
Of course the new Cobalts and vehicles like that are the same way




R.I.P - Canada's St Therese plant,home of the lost Camaro and Firebird.I remeber reading somewhere a while back that if they began producing the Camaros and Firebirds again,they would build a new plant. But have not heard too much more on it lately.

I'll take a stab and say almost if not all are produced in the US with satellite factories in the US. And let's add BMW to the list also. What gets me is how many people will see a VW that has a wing or ground effects and call it a Ricer. V-Dub was German, people!!!!!! No rice in Germany, Then they were produced in Mexico. No rice in Mexico, people!!!!

"ricer" has become a somewhat derogatory generic term for an "import tuner" While I dont want to stray off topic, I will say that While I dont go for that "style". Underneath their baggy shirts and saggy drawers, they are hotrodders just like us.

Back to the point I know that Hyundai has an ad on TV about a big plant they built in the US. ALso I know that there is a plant in San Jose that used to make corollas, now I think it makes Tacomas. I also belive that Kia has a plant in Georgia.

but where does the money end up?

Would you rather support a foreign company that employs american labor to sell cars to the american market, in turn "recycling" their own money?

or

Would you rather support an American company that sends its labor overseas, to produce cars to sell back to the very maeket it has eliminated jobs from??

sorry weimer.. I WONT RANT ANYMORE!!

sure it puts money back into the american economy, but there is still a net outflow of capital.

Well I can say that for Honda, the cars are made in the USA and sold all over the world. Originally the started in Japan. The still have operations in Japan as well as all over the world. But the Hondas/Acuras that you see on the road everyday, are made,sold, and driven here in the USA. All of Hondas North American operations are based in the USA and the profits stay in the USA.
Japan keeps their profits, USA keeps their profits and so forth.
BTW...80% of the GM cars that you saw in the dealerships in the late 70's to early 90's weren't built in the US....chances are the parts came from the US/Mexico and either went to Mexico or Canada to get assembled.
I am not trying to start a Import.vs.Domestic war but I get awful tired of unknowing people slamming on Hondas for being "japcrap"
I mean c'mon...they get 30mpg, are fairly quick for a 4cyl. are good for about 600'000 miles(literally) and are virtually maintenance free. Can you tell me one domestic car that can compare to that? Look at Toyota for example. When was the last time that you actually heard a Toyota owner complain that he/she was always having to work on their car? They are going to be one of the next Big3 auto makers just for the simple fact that Ford or GM cannot get their head out of their own arses. The styling sucks, the performance has a lot to be desired, and now they are practically giving their cars away just so someone will help them out to break even. They are closing their plant doors down everytime you turn around. I don't ever recall hearing on the news that a 'Japanese' manufacturer was shutting their doors because sales were down. The work practices of a japanese company are far from anything that you could imagine. They go to work to build cars. when the line stops for something, they fix it instantly and go back to work. There is no radio to listen to, no standing around and everyone is equal. Managers wear the same uniform that a floor associate wears and is working side-by-side with them when there is a problem.
BTW...most Japanese companies don't have Union, most domestic auto makers do...who do you see closing up shop?
I am done ******in' now.
Later,
WEIMER

Nicely said!and thats not because I have drive a honda civic!

But when it comes to "hating" on people for what they drive, you forget that these people have the same appreciation for cars you and I do. I grew up in san jose in the 70's. The Lowrider scene FLOURISHED there. As a lower middleclass white boy, I liked lowriders, to this day I still do. My dad doesnt. Maybe its a "skin color" thing, maybe he just doesnt get it. But have you ever talked to an "import tuner" guy or a lowrider guy? you'll see that below the "style" is a guy (or gal) that likes cars just like us. Sure its fun to make fun of 5" tail pipes, its also fun to make fun of edsels...

Still has not done a damn thing to make me like the "ricer" crowd. I donot care where they are made,where the money stays,it is nice that people here work and make money from them,but in the end.....

Nobody said that you had to like the 'ricer' crowd...what my complaint was that people automatically see Honda and call it JapCrap. Both parts of that saying are false. It is an uneducated statement that most of the older musclecar guys came up with. First lets take the most popular car that Honda makes(either Civic or Accord). Do you know where they are built at? Yep right in the middle of Ohio. Do you know how many Japanese people actually designed and build them....very very few.Less than a handfull. So now the 'Jap' part of the statement has been debunked, lets move on to the Crap part of it. Lets see. NO maintenance for the first 90-100k miles other than oil changes(they get that every 6'000miles) They have a lifespan of about 500-600k miles and possibly longer depending on the upkeep from the owner. The new Civic SI has a 260hp engine with a 6spd trans. and still gets about 30mpg. Oh yeah, the engines and trans are both built in Ohio also...by Americans.
BTW...didn't you used to drive a Ford with a Japanese engine in it?
Where was your Malibu built at? You know the one that the frame rusted out on...How many miles did both of them cars have before they started needing worked on?
Like I said before...I am done arguing with people that don't have a clue.
Yes I do drive a Honda(89'Civic)...It is my everyday work car, no mods what-so-ever other than a set of aftermarket wheels. No problems at all and still going strong with 170'000 miles.
Later,
WEIMER

I am just ruffling your feathers man,my SHO'S both have Yamaha engines that rev to the moon.The SHO engines are made in JApan,then they were shipped here. The Malibu is a product of Canada.My Converse were made in China.

honda is exellent.

also well said weimer.
i feel the same

That's very true Weimer.

Friend's of ours bought a Toyota Previa van for $1200 that had 312,000 miles on it. They drove it for a while and all they've done since is put a new starter in it.

It's been on roadtrips and everything with over 300k miles!!

That's quality building right there.

I don't like the 'ricer' crowd, namely the people that leave their car bone stock but throw a fart cannon on there along with a wing or two and some dumb looking mis-matched side skirts with crappy front/rear bumper. I like the 'Tuner' crowd, the people that actually do their own work to their cars and try to get the most performance out of them.

I like imports, stock imports. My mom has a '03 Civic Hybrid and i'll probably end up owning a import as my get around car when I'm older.

But I'll always have that good ol' blown 454 Chevy in the garage waiting to tear up the tarmac