Just thinking that with proposed tariffs, that import of foreign cars will go down. Will the quality of American made cars go back to what it was before Japanese started shipping cars over. Yes I know number of foreign automakers make cars here in USA. Domestic(GM, Ford, Dodge) makers didn't up their quality until forced to by competition. Will they go back to old ways, will Honda and other producers here keep quality up. A lot of car parts are made else where and shipped here for assembly. I have never bought a car not made by GM, Ford or Dodge and appreciate quality forced on them. 57 Dodge wore out at 60K, 67 442 Olds pretty well done at 50K(1st new car, wish had it back, but 7mpg and gas crisis at the time), 2011 Buick 110K and still going strong. Many cars in between and quality improved over the years.
Will quality go down?
- Thread starter todalake
- Start date
Just thinking that with proposed tariffs, that import of foreign cars will go down. Will the quality of American made cars go back to what it was before Japanese started shipping cars over. Yes I know number of foreign automakers make cars here in USA. Domestic(GM, Ford, Dodge) makers didn't up their quality until forced to by competition. Will they go back to old ways, will Honda and other producers here keep quality up. A lot of car parts are made else where and shipped here for assembly. I have never bought a car not made by GM, Ford or Dodge and appreciate quality forced on them. 57 Dodge wore out at 60K, 67 442 Olds pretty well done at 50K(1st new car, wish had it back, but 7mpg and gas crisis at the time), 2011 Buick 110K and still going strong. Many cars in between and quality improved over the years.
dog lover
Member
Something will have to give - quality or price.
Grumpy Ol' Man
Senior Member
- Location
- Kansas, U.S.
If trade with other nations is jeopardized by the new President, we won't be able to afford things. If China can no longer ship things to the U.S. without paying huge tariff costs, inflation will escalate into double digits. Your flat-screen tv you can buy for $400 today will cost $4,000. Your $35,000 auto will cost almost $100,000. And, if we see more and more pushed to minimum wage... or minimum wage laws repealed... we will be a Third World Country before we can blink an eye.
As far as quality of automobiles, if we continue using similar components the quality should stay the same. As the automotive manufacturer engineers are pushed back to minimum wage salaries or auto manufacturers simply no longer being able to afford engineers, we won't see advancements in fuel mileage, quality of construction, etc.
As far as quality of automobiles, if we continue using similar components the quality should stay the same. As the automotive manufacturer engineers are pushed back to minimum wage salaries or auto manufacturers simply no longer being able to afford engineers, we won't see advancements in fuel mileage, quality of construction, etc.
Butterfly
SF VIP
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
When I was looking for my car in April 2016, I found that American cars were already priced way out of my league. I wanted another GM car, but found that even the gently used ones were too expensive. I found a gently used Kia (Korean) car that I could (sort of) afford and I really like it; it feels solid, unlike some of the American cars I tried out, even the new ones. A new Ford Focus I drove felt like it was put together with the proverbial chewing gum and baling wire. I don't know about the more luxurious ones -- I simply can't afford $40,000 for a car, no matter how posh it is. So, for the first time in my life, I bought a foreign car. I was a bit sad about having to do that, but found no choice.
But all the stuff in China will be made here by Americans. All the workers making a living wage will buy more stuff which will make more money for corporations and that will tickle down and keep inflation low.
Grumpy Ol' Man
Senior Member
- Location
- Kansas, U.S.
If that works... it would be fantastic. If manufacturing moves back to the United States, most of the jobs will employ robotics. Manufacturers can't afford to pay humans, anymore, even if they are only making minimum wage.
Will the transition happen overnight? Of course not. Once the tariffs are instituted, competitive nations will quickly escalate prices in an attempt to break our economy so we will leave the jobs there. Today, we are a global economy. In much of the U.S. there are more jobs than people willing/able to fill them. Yet, we want to wreck the economy of other nations as a political move. China will NOT allow Trump to wreck her economy. They will retaliate both economically and militarily.
nvtribefan
Member
- Location
- Reno, NV
Bwaaahaaahaaa
Butterfly
SF VIP
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
Ummm -- I'm not going to hold my breath for that to happen.
We are in and have been in a global market. I don't think Trump wants to close the gates but rather to restore balance. Apparently, competition between manufactures gets imbalanced by governmental policies of currency manipulation. Fixing that is an appropriate function of our government. And, hopefully, he will succeed.
Being that the world's economy IS the global market, the world's corporations will move the jobs where the wages are lowest, to maximize profits. Jobs that were lost from the U.S. will not gravitate back to the U.S., without major price adjustment of the product, or major reduction in wages. Macroeconomics 101.
Are you therefore saying that we are doomed and it is the global economy, not Trump that is causing it?
Don M.
SF VIP
- Location
- central Missouri
That is the "conventional" wisdom, but there are examples that do not follow this pattern. Perhaps the best, from an automotive standpoint, is the Toyota Camry. It is perhaps the "Most American" vehicle on the market, in a reasonable price range...and consists of 85% U.S. parts and is assembled in the U.S. It has been one of the top selling vehicles for several years.
Well, Trump has not yet had the chance to "cause" anything yet, I'm just talking about the realities of the global economy.
When Asian countries can make a marketable product that the Western nations will buy, and with the workforce there earning
a tiny fraction of what U.S. workers are earning- guess where corporations are going to take the jobs.
This isn't something new, been going on at least since the eighties.
I see the threat of tariffs as "saber rattling" at this point, part of Trump's way of 'negotiating' with overseas trading partners.