In South America there are already gizilliens like Geely, JAC, Great Wall, Haima, BYD, Cherry and Lifan not to mention all the SUVs, pickups and big trucks.
We have the EPA here in the United States so I doubt that any Chinese vehicles will make it here anytime soon. Their parts are already here and most of them are unsafe. I have a box of fuses that will melt before they ever blow. I also have hose clamps that pop open under the slightest pressure. If the parts are any indication of quality then I hope I never see a Chinese vehicle here.
Two transmission pan gaskets this past week, both did not fit properly, got lucky did not have a catastrophic transmission failure. The gaskets were from China. Bought one from Napa, US made, no more leak. I think the expectations in North America are somewhat higher as far as quality and warranty goes. Just buying a car for half the price is not enough to keep the consumer happy.
They already have arrived, in part. Many cars used them as subcontractors for many of their parts. Open the hood of GM cars and look at the parts. I read where GM hopes to ship 17000 Buick Lacrosses from Shanghai in 2011. Equinox motors are/were made in China. Fusion transmission parts etc. I guess that all qualifies. This discussion borders on the same foreign vs domestic cars debate confusion…they are here already !
As long as they don’t have “Chinese names”, we’ll continue to buy them w/o prejudice.
I do not know about the cars, but the parts are here. 2 weeks ago we used a Chinese built radiator. The job called for 2.5 hours. The radiator looked like the old one. Only problem was it was not the same. Ended up taking about 4 hours with drilling and cutting to make it fit. If this in any indication of the quality then i do not want it
Dagosa - you really think that GM is going to ship them from Shanghai after they just spent a fortune moving production TO the US?
And where do you get your info? What parts of the Fusion’s transmission are made in China?
To the contrary, EVERY Ford sold in China has transmission parts that come from Ford’s Sharonville Transmission Plant in Ohio.
How about here…
Let me get this straight. The US government bailed out GM so that GM can build cars in China to sell in the US?
Is it me, or is something wrong here?
The vast majority of bearings and seals sold at parts stores are from China, as are most brake rotors, most AC plumbing, and most automatic transmission service kits. When pricing rebuilt parts and the parts house quotes a price for a “new” part it is from China. Dana Corp has been in China for over 20 years making components for Road Ranger transmissions. We have let our statesmen sell us out.
I live in Guatemala…and they have arrived here, along with a multitude of Chineese motos. None of them are of good quality, and break frequently. Like the Japaneese good in the 50’s… nielo
Those Chinese-made cars need a dealer network to sell and service them. That is a huge investment, and will take some time to negotiate. They will also need to meet pollution and safety requirements before they can be imported to the USA. That is expensive to do, but not as costly as the dealer network. I suppose it might happen before 2020, but maybe not.
Ford’s having problems with the Chinese manual transmissions in the otherwise great Mustang 5.0 GT. Lots of reported problems with it.
People are SURPRISED at GM’s move??? I’m NOT…Not one bit…
“People are SURPRISED at GM’s move??? I’m NOT…Not one bit…”
Nor am I. I’m not even unhappy with them. If GM can build a quality car in China, import it to the USA, and make more money on it than if it were built in North America that’s great. Why should the UAW, or any union, control a company’s business decisions? That would be a monopoly. Monopolies are just as ugly whether they are run by the management or the workers. And they have the same outcome: the product costs more than it needs to.
The very same issue has resulted in a controversy for Boeing. They want to assemble some 787s in South Carolina (not overseas). As you may know, SC is a right to work state, and the IAM is not currently a part of this plant. The IAM wants to force Boeing to assemble the 787s in Western Washington. To me, this is essentially the same issue. It’s just South Carolina vs. Washington. The IAM and Washington State are both pushing the NLRB to force Boeing to pull this production out of South Carolina - at a cost of up to 15,000 direct and indirect jobs.
eraser1998
Equinox motors are/were made in China.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/26/am_chinese_auto_production/
Fiat sales have not met expectations…people have long memories…After the Jugo experience, few Americans are willing to go into debt for a vehicle that will subject them to ridicule from their neighbors…Kia has to offer 10 year, 100K mile warranties to entice buyers. The Chinese will have to do the same…
It’s inevitable. GM and Ford have invested millions in plants in China to make cars to be sold there. Along with the parts they supply for their Turkey and Mexican made cars shipped to the US, whole cars will be shipped here with the “made in China” label. They will have the GM and Ford logos and w/o research by buyers, they will be bought as “American” cars unknowingly; like the Korean made Aveo for years.
Why should the UAW, or any union, control a company’s business decisions? That would be a monopoly.
No one said anything about UAW controlling a companies business decision. And that’s NOT a definition of a monopoly.
I have no problem with GM making as much money as they want. They can move all manufacturing overseas if they want… Never said they couldn’t or shouldn’t…But that doesn’t mean it’s good for this country. When we finally lose ALL our manufacturing base here in the US, what do you think our economy will be like??? Our economy can NOT survive on services…which is EXACTLY where we’re heading…Forget recession…go right to a depression…
“Forget recession…go right to a depression…”
That could happen a lot sooner if the US Government is forced to reduce their loans strictly by cuts in outlays. Every $1 billion that is cut equates to about 20,000 jobs. If they eliminate $100 billion this fall, that’s about 2,000,000 jobs removed from the economy. Government jobs? Not likely. As programs are eliminated, the contract holders will lose their jobs. It will mostly come from private business.