American made cars...

[briannesmom]

I work for Auto Alliance in Flat Rock Michigan. We make the Ford Mustang and the Mazda 6.

Amy

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I work for Auto Alliance in Flat Rock Michigan. We make the Ford Mustang and the Mazda 6.

Amy

You rock . I'll let you know when I put my order in for 2006 Mustang GT

 

[kimwim8]

ok, this may sound silly, but it just occurred to me.

Is there somewhere on the car that tells where the car was made? I know this could be difficult since certain parts could be manufactured in different areas.

Just a thought...

 

[Christine]

ok, this may sound silly, but it just occurred to me.

Is there somewhere on the car that tells where the car was made? I know this could be difficult since certain parts could be manufactured in different areas.

Just a thought...

I know on the sticker on the Toyota's it will tell you. My Highlander was made in Japan. I believe most of the Scion's are made in Japan. The Camry's are made in the U.S.

Rather than look at "where" the car was made, you more or less have to look at the philosphy of the company, how good their engines are designed, and how well the stand behind their product. This is where American cars have failed--not so much that they are or are not made here, but the integrity of their product and how quickly they rectify defaults. For instance, my DH's Dodge Dakota (a 1997) has been through four, count'em 4, catalytic converters. If you go on any message board, we can see that Dodge Dakotas have a *problem* with catalytic converters. Even a salesman acknowledged there is a problem. We have gone all the way up the chain at Daimler-Chrysler and get a "sorry for your problems" response. They will do nothing to fix it and have not fixed their problem even on the newer models (or so a salesman told me). I have owned both Toyotas and Hondas and, if there even is a problem, they stand behind it.

This is what you need to look at.

 

[tandrjohn]

I work for Auto Alliance in Flat Rock Michigan. We make the Ford Mustang and the Mazda 6.

Amy

Small world. I live almost within sight of this plant. I love "The Legend Lives Here" sign.

 

[Pin Wizard]

My Mazda was built at a Ford plant here. Had I known that Ford actually manufactured it, I wouldn't have bought it. My first inkling was Ford's logo on the back of the remote. A few weeks later, actually saw it on the sticker in the door.

 

[jrydberg]

The first number of your VIN tells you where it was manufactured. For instance, I just got a Toyota Corolla and the VIN starts with 2.

1 or 4: US
2: Canada
3: Mexico
J: Japan
K: Korea
S: England
W: Germany
Z: Italy

 

[Cindy B]

My dad is a hard core Union guy as well. He has always bought american and will never change.

That being said, I had all American cars growing up. My first car was a Mustang.

Right now I drive a Jeep and my DH drives a Ford Expedition. He loves his car, and I enjoy mine.

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

Wow - learn something new on the DIS every day!

I knew my old Honda Accord was made here because of the sticker, but I didn't realize so many others were made here, too.

For those of you talking about unions, I was curious if there were a ton of unions out there for the car manufacturers or just a few? I'm totally ignorant on this, but my brother is a Teamster and I know how much his union has protected him throughout his many years at UPS. For my next car purchase, I would definitely keep that in mind...

 

[kimwim8]

The first number of your VIN tells you where it was manufactured. For instance, I just got a Toyota Corolla and the VIN starts with 2.

1 or 4: US
2: Canada
3: Mexico
J: Japan
K: Korea
S: England
W: Germany
Z: Italy

That is AWESOME!! Thanks!

 

[MAH4546]

Pretty much every major foreign manufacture has a plant in the US. And all the Big 3 have plants in Canada and Mexico, too. In fact, just as many American cars are built in Mexico as Japanesse cars are built in the US. Many people are surprised when they discover where cars are built. It works in many ways. Honda imports cars to the US from not only Japan, but Mexico and the UK too.

-Chevrolet Aveo is built in South Korea
-Pontiac GTO is built in Australia
-Honda CR-V and Honda Civic Si are built in Swindon, United Kingdom
-Mercedes C-Class is built in Juis de Fora, Brazil
-Mercedes G-Class is built in Austria
-Mercedes M- and R-Class are built in Alabama
-BMW X5 and Z4 are built in South Carolina; the X3 is built in Austria
-Audi TT comes from Hungary
-Volkwagen Touareg is built in Slovokia
-Volkswagen Golf 5-doors come from Brazil; 3-doors come from Germany; Jettas come from Mexico
-Chrysler Crossfire is built in Germany
-Dodge Sprinter van is built by Mercedes in Spain as kit, then shipped to South Carolina where the parts are put together, basiclly like a puzzle. This qualifies it as a domestic car.
-Isuzu is a Japanese brand, but imports zero trucks to the US. All their products are built by GM in Ohio and Lousiana.
-Saab 9-2X is built by Subaru in Japan; the 9-7X is built in Ohio.
-Saab 9-3 convertibles are built in Finland, not Sweden.
-Most Honda Accords sold in the US come from Ohio, but some are imported from Mexico as well.

Among other popular Japanesse/Korean cars that are built in the US and Canada:

Toyota: Solara, Corolla, Avalon, Matrix, Camry, Sienna, Sequioa, Tacoma, Tundra
Honda Element, Odyssey, Civic, Pilot, Ridgeline, Accord
Acura MDX, TL, EL
Lexus RX
Hyundai Sonata
Nissan Xterra, Frontier, Titan, Armanda, Pathfinder, Quest, Maxima, Altima, Sentra (the only cars Nissan imports to the US are the Murano and Z)
Infiniti QX56
Subaru Legacy, Outback, B9 Tribeca, Baja
Mitsbushi Eclipse, Endeavour, Galant
Mazda 6

Most Japanesse car manufactures tailor cars to the US market. The Japanese market Honda Accord, for example, is so radically different that it is sold as the Acura TSX in the US. The Japanesse Odyssey still features swing doors and a is smaller, like the original one in 1995.

 

[momof2inPA]

We had an Acura a couple of years ago that was a very good car. After that one, we bought a Saturn, which has been just as good, with little maintenance. When it does need maintenance, the parts are cheaper. Our next car, new or used will probably be another Saturn.

Unions: I would think that most union car assembly plant workers are covered by the UAW- United Auto Workers.