What's An "american" Car; How Can You Tell?

[pj8708]

Excellent article re: where your car is made and is it really a "German" car, "American" car, "Japenese", and how do you know. Are you getting what you payed for? Does it matter if it works well and meets your expectations?

Paul

http://autos.aol.com/article/is-your-car-really-american/

[cduluk]

Nice article. <_<

To me, the only thing that matters is WHO designed it, and to WHO'S standards it's being built. And of course, who can do all of this in the least expensive way.

The same thing is done with airplanes now. Boeing for example, located in Seattle, WA, has parts being built all over the world (wings built in Japan, the fuselages built in Italy, etc.) which are all sent back to WA where they're assembled. They claim that these foreign countries have a better handle on some of the new technologies (ie composite materials) and state this as the reason for building parts outside of the US.

My guess is that labor costs are better overseas, obviously enough to outweigh the shipping costs to get all of these massive parts across the globe. Plus, i'm sure they're trying to make foreigners feel that these planes are "part theirs" so they'll buy them. The same thing happened when American's found out some Toyota's where being built here. For some reason they're more inclined to purchase a car if some of the parts are being built where they live. It's a shame really...

For some reason, people can't get over the idea that America "might not be ahead of everybody else" and isn't able build things for the same price as those in other countries...

[pj8708]

Nice article. <_<

To me, the only thing that matters is WHO designed it, and to WHO'S standards it's being built. And of course, who can do all of this in the least expensive way.

The same thing is done with airplanes now. Boeing for example, located in Seattle, WA, has parts being built all over the world (wings built in Japan, the fuselages built in Italy, etc.) which are all sent back to WA where they're assembled. They claim that these foreign countries have a better handle on some of the new technologies (ie composite materials) and state this as the reason for building parts outside of the US.

My guess is that labor costs are better overseas, obviously enough to outweigh the shipping costs to get all of these massive parts across the globe. Plus, i'm sure they're trying to make foreigners feel that these planes are "part theirs" so they'll buy them. The same thing happened when American's found out some Toyota's where being built here. For some reason they're more inclined to purchase a car if some of the parts are being built where they live. It's a shame really...

For some reason, people can't get over the idea that America "might not be ahead of everybody else" and isn't able build things for the same price as those in other countries...

How true, how true. Things are never static and every species must continualy adapt to survive.

It is either my age or lack of keeping up with the times, but I can't imagine how you can make and ship something the size of a 747 fuselage half way around the world cheaper than you can make it in the factory across the street.

Paul

[cduluk]

Well, the 747 is mainly built here, it's the 777 and newly designed 787 that are being built all over... The fuselages are made in parts, and they're each sent separately on a "modified" 747 that Boeing calls the "Dream Lifter".

Of course, with a fuel capacity of 52,609 gallons at $2/gal, it can cost close to $100,000 JUST FOR FUEL, per TRIP.

I guess it beats the rate of $400,000 PER DAY to rent the Antonov A-225.

"Boeing Commercial Airplanes announced on October 13, 2003 that due to the length of time required by marine shipping, air transport will be the primary method of transporting parts for the 787. Three used passenger 747-400 aircraft were to be converted into an outsize configuration in order to ferry sub-assemblies from Japan and Italy to North Charleston, South Carolina and then to Everett, Washington for final assembly."

I guess it's different for transporting cars...

[pj8708]

This brings a whole new meaning to the term "puddle jumper".

[cduluk]

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