The Big 3 Auto bailout

[bradisgoofy]

I am about to be laid off indefinably because of the Big 3 auto makers not selling vehicles. It doesn't help that many Americans keep buying foreign cars. I would like to remind everyone of how much these foreign car makers think of America -

How quickly everyone forgets . . the American car companies were good enough to contribute significantly to the Red Cross following 9/11, but when they are in their own emergency situation they are swept aside and ignored by people who very well may have benefited from their generosity.

An interesting commentary...You might find this of interest:

CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding Ford and GM's contributions to the relief and recovery efforts in New York and Washington.

The findings are as follows....

1. Ford- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.

2. GM- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of vans, suv's, and trucks.

3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack.

4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept.

5. Volkswagen-Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation, funded initial with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.

6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross.

7. Audi-Nothing.

8. BMW-Nothing.

9. Daewoo- Nothing.

10. Fiat-Nothing.

11. Honda- Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001

12. Isuzu- Nothing.

13. Mitsubishi-Nothing.

14. Nissan-Nothing.

15. Porsche-Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website.

16. Subaru- Nothing.

17. Suzuki- Nothing.

18. Toyota-Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001. Condolences posted on the website

Whenever the time may be for you to purchase or lease a new vehicle, keep this information in mind. You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and / or American based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States ...

It's OK for these companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this. Say thank you in a way that gets their attention..

 

[edwardsfire]

Id rather a company EMPLOY Americans with secure jobs than make an issue of how much they give to charity.
All i know is that Honda,Toyota,Nissan,BMW,Mercedes,Hyundai and soon VW..employ thousands of Americans at US auto plants.
Many of those vehicles have over 85% us parts content.
so, i cant diss them.
As for the Big 3, they better get their house in order soon or ALL of their employees will be gone.
The whole "foreign" car thing just doesnt exist anymore.
Last year Fords #1 selling CAR was the Fusion..(made in Mexico)
Honda's was the Accord and Civic, both made in Ohio
Toyota's Camry, made in Kentucky.
I respect your point of view and your post.
I wish you the best and hope everything works out though.

 

[bradisgoofy]

I don't dispute that the "other" auto makers employ Americans and make good products, I just want to remind everyone what those "Corporations" thought of us when 9/11 happened. I do not work for the Big 3 but for a steel mill that supplies them AND some of those "other" auto makers.

 

[DeterminedOne]

I drive a foreign car purchased new a few years ago. The company's charitable contributions had nothing to do with my decision and likely never would. Sorry.

I'm sorry the Big 3 aren't doing well which affects me also since I work in manufacturing. However, as a consumer I could not let their strife factor into such a big decision. I chose to go with what I thought and still think was the best product.

ETA - my last car was a Pontiac purchased new. Within the first ten months both the starter and the alternator had to be replaced.

 

[edwardsfire]

I don't depute that the "other" auto makers employ Americans and make good products, I just want to remind everyone what those "Corporations" thought of us when 9/11 happened.

I understand. I dont think it was "what they thought of us though."
If they didnt think of us, they wouldnt be making vehicles here.
I consider the thousands of jobs to be MUCH more important that any charity.
I choose to aim my anger at the folks that actually terrorized us on (9-11)
but your point is taken.

 

[Lib E]

Sorry you are losing your job, but what the foreign manufacturers did or didn't do for the USA after 9/11 just doesn't influence my decision at all. I've owned Ford & GMC vehicles in the past and I rent a car (most of them made by the Big 3) for work 2-3 times a month. They stink. Asking the American public to waste their hard earned money on a substandard product they won't be happy with isn't the answer.

 

[HOGFAN]

so sorry you are affected. We used to buy exclusively American until we got a couple lemons. Hopefully, quality is on the way back in and I can consider a domestic next time.

 

[Anewman]

CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding Ford and GM's contributions to the relief and recovery efforts in New York and Washington.

The findings are as follows....

Really? Please share the link to the "list".

1. Ford- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.

Wow, I guess FORDS own webpage must be wrong because they claim to have donated no where near 10million.

2. GM- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of vans, suv's, and trucks.

GM donated 1 million, not ten... cant find a link so my source is as valid as yours.

3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack.

ACCURATE.

4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept.

ACCURATE

5. Volkswagen-Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation, funded initial with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.

Accurate

6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross.

Accurate

7. Audi-Nothing.

WRONG, they donated $100,000 http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10410229_ITM

8. BMW-Nothing.

BMW total donation total is over 2.4 million http://web.archive.org/web/20011019...com/news_events/news_l.cfm?item_id=2035600172

9. Daewoo- Nothing.

Dont know

10. Fiat-Nothing.

dont know

11. Honda- Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001

WRONG they gave $1.5 million http://web.archive.org/web/20011027092513/http://www.honda.com/hondaresponds.html

12. Isuzu- Nothing.

I found reports that they gave around $20,000 but can not find any verification

13. Mitsubishi-Nothing.

Reports that they raised over $200,000, no proof

14. Nissan-Nothing.

Reports that they donated $1 million, but no links to proove. A google search for Nissan and Red cross show that they have contributed after multiple natural disasters, so IMO it is easy to see that they care.

15. Porsche-Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website

.

http://web.archive.org/web/20011219040330/http://www.driveforhope.org/info.html

16. Subaru- Nothing.

$1million http://web.archive.org/web/20020409135913/http://subaru.com/home/about/community/911_middle.asp

17. Suzuki- Nothing.

$62,000 http://web.archive.org/web/20020607200238/http://suzuki.com/news/united.htm

18. Toyota-Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001. Condolences posted on the website

$1million
http://web.archive.org/web/20011006...release/finance/docs/2001/20010928_splash.jsp


Now should we buy foreign cars because they care more?

 

[kirbsam]

sorry you are being laid off, but your post really matters little to car buyers. i think very, very few people look at a companies charitable distributions when they buy a car. and i am not sure they should. most people look for a good product, at a fair price. hence, the big 3 are up a creek.

 

[taylor1293]

We've owned several "Big three" cars and it won't happen again until their product quality improves. I will not, and simply can not, make a major purchase based on a companies charitable contributions. I will base it on quality, warranty, design, and customer satisfaction.

Regardless, I am truly sorry that they are laying you off. I pray the economy turns around quickly and you are reinstated soon.

 

[Tink888]

I'm sorry you are about to lose your job. That stinks.

I've always bought American cars, been very happy with them and will continue to buy American.

I was just laid off from my job three weeks ago. Not related to the auto industry. My company was once very charitable also. Now it's in bankruptcy. No bail-out for us.

Is it a lousy? Yep, but it is what it is. I will find another job and keep moving forward. Companies struggle, fail and succeed. Economies do well and do poorly. There are no guarantees in life other than change being inevitable and sheer willpower to keep plowing ahead.

That's my attitude for 2009.

Hang in there and I hope things work out for you and your family.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I'm so sorry you are about to lose your job. Believe me, I feel for you because there's a good chance I'm going to lose mine as well.

For many, many years I bought "big 3" cars exclusively. My first was a Ford that was back to the dealer 3-5 times per year. I gave up on Ford and switched to Chrysler. After my 2nd Chrysler with non-stop oil leaks (among other issues), I bought a Honda. I love my Honda, but I would have rather bought another US car.

Maybe someday the big 3 will concentrate more on quality. Then I'll go back to buying US cars.

Good luck to you. Hopefully, 2009 will be a better year for all of us.

 

[rascalmom]

I am sorry you are losing your job.

Charitable donations aren't on my checklist when purchasing a car, but I do have respect for companies who are good community supporters. 9/11 was a huge tragedy for this country, but there have been others. Here are some instances where the foreign automakers have stepped up as good corporate citizens:

http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1077,0_314_7180,00.html

WASHINGTON, Thursday, October 25, 2007 — Toyota announced today that it will be donating $2 million to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts for the California wildfires. This is one of the largest financial gifts the Red Cross has received for the California wildfires. Toyota is also donating Toyota lift trucks and palette jacks that will be used to unload and distribute relief supplies.

http://world.honda.com/news/2005/c050902_hurricanekatrina.html

September 2, 2005– In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, American Honda today announced a pledge of $5 million to the American Red Cross - Disaster Relief Fund. This contribution from the Honda family of companies, its associates, and dealers includes direct corporate contributions and special employee matching gift programs. Honda also is making available portable generators, water pumps, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, off-road motorcycles, and vehicles to agencies working in the affected areas.

In their list of donors giving between $5 million and $10 million, the American Red Cross website lists BMW at that giving level.

http://www.redcross.org/sponsors/drf/fy06_recognition.html

On Feb. 3, 2006, thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the Red Cross announced that financial donations and pledges will cover the estimated $2.116 billion costs for its response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

I'm sure there are more examples - I just did a quick Google search and found these. I also saw a large donation from Toyota to the United Way -- the largest of any automaker listed, but the list was only from Cinncinnati.

There are many generous acts to consider - I was a chaperone on a D.C./Williamsburg trip for over 50 5th graders a few years back - our sponsor was a local Toyota/Lexus dealer. They were very generous - but I ended up buying an Acura because that was the best fit for our family at the time.

Again, OP, I am sorry you are losing your job. I wish you the very best in finding something new or being recalled quickly. Darn economy!

 

[Planogirl]

I buy whatever fits my needs and my budget. I do feel bad about the Big 3 having problems but I think a lot factors into that. I don't believe that it's only what cars we buy that affects these things and I can't see spending so much money on something only because of charitable contributions. As far as jobs go, many of the 'foreign' companies employ plenty of Americans.

That said, we do have a Ford and a Mitsubishi. I need another car and Ford is one company that I'm considering. (It'll likely be used though so I doubt that we'll have any effect.)

 

[minnie61650]

To the OP:
I was very sorry to read about your job loss. I hope you find new employment shortly.

DH & I live in Michigan. We have been married for 40 years and have bought "American made" cars just like our parents have. I read this article written by Mr. Hiller (He owns several grocery stores in SE Michigan and I often shop at one of his stores). I think Mr. Hiller sums up a lot of the same type feelings our family has as we are very proud to drive a "American Car".:

Home Jim's Blog
Find these great deals at Hiller's now!
Why I Drive An American Car

I didn’t always drive American cars.

About five years ago I woke up one day with the realization that any purchase I make directly impacts people in my neighborhood, my town, my state. Plus, I expected and hoped my fellow Michiganders would choose to shop in my stores, support charities I believe in and otherwise contribute to the well-being of our community – but I didn’t behave the same way in return. My purchases weren’t governed by a local-business-first focus, looking for the quality, service or selection in products made close to home before turning to sources from afar, because I didn’t believe one person could make a difference.

I was wrong.

My epiphany came as I stood on slick-top pavement in a moon-lit night, waiting for my car after a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I stood with General Motors Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz, watching foreign car after foreign car drive away into the rain-slicked night. He turned to me as those foreign luxury vehicles peeled out of the parking lot and said, “How many people realize that when they buy an American luxury vehicle, they’re providing work for a dozen people for at least a week?”

Before then, I hadn’t felt in my bones the direct connection between the car I drive and the people in my hometown being in, or out, of a job. Many of my friends had told me so, but I didn’t listen - friends from other countries, shaking their heads in disbelief at the thought of neglecting one’s homeland.

I see it now.

And I feel it in my heart.

It struck me that night that I expected all of these people to support my local causes – ALS of Michigan for one - with their presence and their pocketbooks . Why didn’t I expect the same from them with regard to the place that gave us life and ensured our freedom of consumer choice?

I don’t even remember what kind of car I was driving, but the next day I bought a Cadillac STS and loved it. All of my preconceived notions that foreign cars were better-made and were longer-lasting, well, they proved untrue.

As a son of the Motor City, I can honestly say that for years, I found it easy to look across the ocean and see nothing bad in a car born overseas– a rose-colored view of the exotic promise of a place I didn’t know the texture of or the smells. I can describe the air-clear scent of the Detroit River and the open-sky echo of children on a summer day on Belle Isle, but I couldn’t tell you about the rapid plod of workers’ footsteps in a Korean, German, Bavarian or Japanese town or the series of sunset hues in their dusk.

Intimacy doesn’t always breed loyalty. In my own backyard, I could hurl the easiest accusations, based on nothing factual at all, and believe them true.

It’s harder to see a beautiful thing from close up.

My Cadillac is a superior vehicle in every way. Yes, I feel duty-bound and even intellectually-motivated to buy American, but I have to say that I buy American cars first and foremost because I know I’m getting a great product crafted by hands I know and with whom I share a destiny.

Plus, as I drive down the road, I feel like I’m part of a secret society of people taking care of one another.

Of course, any car you buy locally and drive off a lot owned by a guy who lives on your block means you’re in some way supporting local commerce. Still, it’s infinitely compelling to know that 100% of the car I drive was created, assembled and finessed just a few miles from where I live. Dozens of Michiganders took part in the creation of my vehicle, from concept to the moment I drove it off the lot.

American cars have a long illustrious history. It’s OUR history, for we come from a place of innovation and belief in the discovery, invention and possibility of great things.[/B]

Link:

Click here: Jim Hiller’s Blog » Blog Archive » Why I Drive An American Car

 

[DLSuperVet]

Charitable activities are great but they don't keep my car on the road for a few hundred thousand miles. It's unfortunate that the Big 3 got themselves into this mess but I can't in good purchase their products. I'm amazed that such prominent companies lacked the foresight to develop viable automobiles and business plans while their competition found a way to do so in our country using American employees.

I drive a Nissan that was build by Americans in Smyrna, Tennessee. I consider it to be an American automobile. How many Ford and GM vehicles are made in Mexico and Canada? Quite a few. Before you start blindly purchasing vehicles based upon a nameplate you should really check and see where it's built if you want to support the American worker. You can also do so without supporting the UAW.

I personally feel better when my money doesn't go towards the UAW. I know I'll draw a lot of ire for this but it's my choice. If my industry were to unionize I would find a new industry.

PS. The new Fusion Hybrid may find its way into my driveway but only because it's a relatively slick automobile. My motivation to purchase one is based upon my selfish desire to make myself and nobody else happy.

 

[minnie61650]

Really? Please share the link to the "list".

I could not find a link to the original CNN website.
I did however find a link to the email on Snoops.com
Snoops agrees with most of your findings save a few:

Snoops also posted the following info:

Origins: The item quoted above detailing automobile companies' contributions to relief efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. originally began circulating on the Internet in October 2001 and gained renewed currency in November 2008 (as Congress was debating a $25 billion bailout plan for the Big Three U.S. automakers). At the time, we took on the information-gathering task of visiting the web sites of all the automobile manufacturers listed above (plus a few not on the list), looking for information about September 11-related relief efforts and reported our findings below.

Important points to keep in mind are:
Our inability to locate information about charitable contributions on any particular manufacturer's web site did not necessarily mean that information did not exist on the web site.

The lack of information about charitable contributions on any particular manufacturer's web site did not necessarily mean that the manufacturer made no such contributions.

Manufacturers may also have made contributions above and beyond those listed on their web sites.

We did not independently verify that the businesses listed herein actually made the stated contributions; we merely provided links to statements in which they reported that they had (or would be doing so).

In every case where we were unable to find relevant information on a manufacturer's web site, we contacted the company through their web site and invited them to respond to this message.

---------------------------------------------------------------
I will go through and post the findings where Snoops findings were different than your own.

Wow, I guess FORDS own webpage must be wrong because they claim to have donated no where near 10million.

Ford: Included a detailed page about Ford's participation in the National Tragedy Relief Effort, including donations of $1 million each to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army and a program for matching all individual employee contributions.

*NOTE
If Ford did indeed match all individual employee contributions.They may very well have donated 10-20 million dollars.

I found reports that they gave around $20,000 but can not find any verification

Isuzu: No information found in Isuzu News section of web site. (A February 2002 press release stated that "Isuzu Motors America has donated $16,800 in corporate and employee contributions and is conducting further fund-raising efforts at its American Isuzu sales unit and at parent Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan.")

$62,000 http://web.archive.org/web/20020607200238/http://suzuki.com/news/united.htm

Suzuki: Opening page included a link to a page detailing their 9/11-related contributions, which included matching employees' contribution of $31,000 with $31,000 of their own and donating SUVs and ATVs at Ground Zero to aid rescue workers.

Link:

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/automakers.asp

 

[frisco]

Proud owner of a Toyota here.

I feel terrible for anyone that would lose their job, but it won't stop me from buying foreign cars.

I've had 6 cars in my life:

First 4 were Chrysler or Pontiac's. Not one of them made it to 100,000 miles.

Last 2 have been Honda and Toyota, and neither have ever been in the shop for anything other than an oil change.

 

[frisco]

I personally feel better when my money doesn't go towards the UAW. I know I'll draw a lot of ire for this but it's my choice. If my industry were to unionize I would find a new industry.

Not from me. I agree 100%.

I think the bailout is a joke. If my company screws up and fails, no one's coming to bail us out. Won't matter anyways. The Big 3 have been making garbage for years, knowing full well this day would come. They'll continue to make garbage.

 

[Jennasis]

If I COULD afford a new car I would buy whatever fit my available budget and had the quality, features, and warranty I needed. The charitable contributions of the company or the financial future of that company would not be a factor. The big 3 made their bed...and I am so very sorry it was a bed you are employed to build for them. Good luck.