Made in America.

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Well-known Member
A lot of people, especially some in very high places are very critical of GM closing the factory that produces the Versa and justifying it with the lame excuse that nobody in the US is buying them. We know that everybody here is buying high profit trucks and SUVs while there is still a lot of demand for small Versa type cars in other countries. GM is we know, being very unpatriotic in sending the production overseas to where the market is just to try to keep from loosing money on the car. So how about this for a solution: The US gov't. orders all branches to change their auto purchases to include lets say 50% US made compacts or Versa equivalents in order to keep the jobs here. Sure this is gov't manipulation of business and free trade, and I would not be in favor of it myself, but it would make a difference in GM being able to keep production here instead of just yelling "UNPATRIOTIC!" and telling them that they need to keep the plant open and loose a lot of money.
 
It would interesting to watch the workers leaving that GM plant and see what
percent is GM vehicles compared to foreign.
 
That's my thought. Mandate it and they'll just raise their prices and rake in exorbitant profits.
 
(quoted from post at 13:54:42 03/19/19) That's my thought. Mandate it and they'll just raise their prices and rake in exorbitant profits.

Really? If they are selling at a loss just to move them they will sell ZERO if the raise the price. Business 101: If you make a product that cost $1.00 to make, market and put it on the shelf and you have to sell it at 90 cents just to move it you are operating at a loss. If I make like product but because my costs are lower and I can make a profit at 90 cents you can't raise the price to 1.05 to make a profit. Who's going to buy it?

Sorry, if they can't make a profit by moving production then they go broke. If GM fails about 180,000 people are out of work.

Now here is the hard part for some folks. If Company A: has to pay 20 and hour and Company B: gets away with 10 an hour with raw materials being the same for both companies, no way company can survive without cutting costs. Labor is the easiest to cut by either moving manufacturing offshore or via automation.

Rick
 
Gee while we are at it lets have the government mandate the use of those old 80's land cruiser station wagons with 400 plus cu.in V8's and simulated wood panels on the sides. Just as practical. The Griswald family would be proud.
Loren
 
If they're so poorly managed that they can't make money, so be it.
The government should have stayed out of it and let them fail the first time.
Yes, I do understand the impact of that and that it was probably
cheaper to bail them out than to pay all the unemployment.
Not to mention the loss on the local economies.
But that's free trade. Build a profitable, reliable product or go under.
 
GM should have filed for bankruptcy, let them work things out just like any other company. Doesn't look like the bama bailout did them any good. Remember when Chrysler was about to go under quite a few government agency were buying Chrysler products back then Lee paid that loan back in full and early!
 
If GM wants the government to buy more of their vehicles, they have to have the best price out there. I work for the state government and the vehicles purchased are based on the "best bang for the buck"/ low bid system. Currently on the automotive purchases GM holds the car contracts, Dodge holds the van contracts and Ford holds the pickup contracts. Next year it may be the opposite, or "a winner takes all scenario", since cars models, body styles and production costs seldom stay the same from year to year.
 
(quoted from post at 17:55:45 03/19/19) GM should have filed for bankruptcy, let them work things out just like any other company. Doesn't look like the bama bailout did them any good. Remember when Chrysler was about to go under quite a few government agency were buying Chrysler products back then Lee paid that loan back in full and early!

I agree, the government should have stayed completely out of it meaning that Chrysler would have gone the way of the dodo bird right along with GM. After all it was external_link who forced the sale of Chrysler to FIAT when it was realized that even with the bailout Chrysler was going to fail.

Just because they shut a plant down doesn't mean they are doing anything wrong. The point is that model isn't selling here in the US. Because of low US sales that line is no longer profitable. It is a desirable car in overseas markets but only if they can keep the cost down. 1: The US factory is in poor condition. Cost more to repair it than to replace it and either option makes that car even more expensive for GM. 2: The cost of producing that car has got to come down to make it competitive with other cars in that class in the overseas markets it sells in. If it can't stay competitive sales will tank and production will stop. 3: The only way to cut cost is in labor and transportation.

So do you think those UAW employees are going to take a pay cut to put that car in profitable territory? Or that shipping companies are going to ship them for free? Or does GM have to move production someplace where labor is much cheaper and you are not transporting them across oceans? The other option is to stop production. Anyway you look at it that plant is done.

For those who think the government should force people to buy smaller cars? They actually looked at that when billy boy was president and no way for them to legally do that under current laws.

Rick
 
You realize Japan subsidize their automotive manufacturers big time. The big three automakers in the United States also stopped building automobiles
during W W II to build tanks , ammo and other items so these United States could win that war, otherwise you would be speaking German today instead
of English.
 
GM is not a charity. They're in it to make profit. If they can't make a profit on a certain vehicle producing it in one location, but can by producing it somewhere else, then it is there prerogative to move that production.

Forcing them to stay and circle the toilet in the name of keeping a certain nationality of people employed is far more UNpatriotic than moving any amount of jobs offshore. After all, you wouldn't want the government telling you what you can do with your resources. Not okay to do it to you, means not okay to do it to ANYONE.
 
(quoted from post at 08:08:46 03/19/19) A lot of people, especially some in very high places are very critical of GM closing the factory that produces the Versa and justifying it with the lame excuse that nobody in the US is buying them. We know that everybody here is buying high profit trucks and SUVs while there is still a lot of demand for small Versa type cars in other countries. GM is we know, being very unpatriotic in sending the production overseas to where the market is just to try to keep from loosing money on the car. So how about this for a solution: The US gov't. orders all branches to change their auto purchases to include lets say 50% US made compacts or Versa equivalents in order to keep the jobs here. Sure this is gov't manipulation of business and free trade, and I would not be in favor of it myself, but it would make a difference in GM being able to keep production here instead of just yelling "UNPATRIOTIC!" and telling them that they need to keep the plant open and loose a lot of money.
Companies shave to be free to move their money and factories to where they see fit. Sometimes decisions made by GM and others is very poor and they lose money or sales. But these companies are not in the least patriotic and that would never factor into a decision.
 
Government Motors was in fact a charity case that was bailed out by the US Citizens at what was at the time was labeled as saving American Workers jobs,what they paid back was a joke.Yes they do owe the Taxpayers of the USA big time.And they are obligated to keep jobs in the USA.Good lesson though never bail out any company just like saving a Rattlesnake it'll eventually
turn around and bite you.
 
Funny thing when they and the UAW was begging for Bailout money it was the Patriotic thing to do to help an American Company keep Americans employed,fair enough.But now they are kicking the US workers in teeth and moving jobs to be filled by foreign workers after all the bailout money they received from the US Taxpayers.Dam_ right they are Unpatriotic and scum.
 
(quoted from post at 11:08:46 03/19/19) A lot of people, especially some in very high places are very critical of GM closing the factory that produces the Versa and justifying it with the lame excuse that nobody in the US is buying them. We know that everybody here is buying high profit trucks and SUVs while there is still a lot of demand for small Versa type cars in other countries. GM is we know, being very unpatriotic in sending the production overseas to where the market is just to try to keep from loosing money on the car. So how about this for a solution: The US gov't. orders all branches to change their auto purchases to include lets say 50% US made compacts or Versa equivalents in order to keep the jobs here. Sure this is gov't manipulation of business and free trade, and I would not be in favor of it myself, but it would make a difference in GM being able to keep production here instead of just yelling "UNPATRIOTIC!" and telling them that they need to keep the plant open and loose a lot of money.

Guess you are not familiar with the term "bully pulpit." I is right and proper for politicians who have enough power to bully other governments and corporations in order to serve the base interests of America. And for what it's worth GM is always goioong to be in trouble because they cannot make a vehcile worth owning and they haven't in the last 45 years or so.
 
I've worked hard to earn everything I've
got. Why should tax money I pay in be used
to bail out a company that makes a product
I can't afford and if I could wouldn't be
interested in buying. After the past few
years I'm just barely holding on to a small
family farm that's been in my family longer
than GM has been in business. Nobody is
lining up to give me any money so why
should they be entitled to mine. If they
can't make it let them go under.
 
(quoted from post at 15:31:07 03/19/19) If they're so poorly managed that they can't make money, so be it.
The government should have stayed out of it and let them fail the first time.
Yes, I do understand the impact of that and that it was probably
cheaper to bail them out than to pay all the unemployment.
Not to mention the loss on the local economies.
But that's free trade. Build a profitable, reliable product or go under.
Thing of it is had they failed some other company would have stepped up and filled the gap. No different then govt farm subsidies rewarding farms for bad management practises.
 
If everything said here is true then none of us should buy anything from GM, Chrysler, CaseIH/NH or FIAT ever again.

The reason that the government lost money on GM has nothing to do with GM and everything to do with illegal activity by the administration in power and in how they handled the bailout. They insisted a certain percentage be paid back in cash and also demanded stock. 60.8% of GM stock. Courts ruled that the government is barred from owning a business and the government was forced to dump that stock when the price was down. Can't really blame GM for stock prices during a recession. So in reality GM did pay ack the government but the government lost money over it because of poor decisions.

The government forced Chrysler into a bad deal where stock holders lost everything invested (that includes anyone with a 401K that help Chrysler stock). Instead of getting pennies on the dollar they got nothing. Then the government sold FIAT Chrysler for a fraction of the true value.

So Kubota and JD! The only thing to buy now! And Ford!

Rick
 
(quoted from post at 05:49:21 03/20/19) Funny thing when they and the UAW was begging for Bailout money it was the Patriotic thing to do to help an American Company keep Americans employed,fair enough.But now they are kicking the US workers in teeth and moving jobs to be filled by foreign workers after all the bailout money they received from the US Taxpayers.Dam_ right they are Unpatriotic and scum.

OK so instead of moving the line offshore and then because of reduced labor cost still make a profit they JUST CLOSE THE LINE that's not making a profit? Would that make them anymore patriotic? Those workers would still be out of work and Gm would be less profitable. That makes about as much sense as screen hatches on a submarine.

Rick
 
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Really? Guess your rating are to be trusted more than JD Powers?

Sorry, guess I trust those rating more than I trust your rants.

Rick
 

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