[Mister Dave]

GM's new Chevy Blazer will be built in Mexico

Why is GM building such a high-profile SUV aimed at an American audience in its Ramos, Mexico, plant?

Mexican plants have cheaper labor costs than in the United States, and.......

.......and China has cheaper labor costs too.

Made in China

Soooooo....... ~20 new EVs in China, BUPKIS for us and CUVs made in Mexico and China shipped to us. What an American car company Mary's running. No thanks dear, you can keep it.

Let's be honest Mary, if you had anything new in the EV arena for us in 2019 we'd have seen it by now.

 

[FI Spyder]

Virtually all car companies are international now. Nature of the beast, present administration not withstanding.

 

[Mister Dave]

I don't accept blinders that easily. I can't be critical of another car company's cult and then turn a blind eye to this sort of thing.

I've never been for or against the UAW. It's getting harder to remain neutral. There's no union in China, just serfs building cars for GM.

I've read that GM's top executives just split up $100 million in bonuses. I've got a bonus for them - my next car may be a Volvo assembled in the USA.

 

[FI Spyder]

I don't accept blinders that easily. I can't be critical of another car company's cult and then turn a blind eye to this sort of thing.

I've never been for or against the UAW. It's getting harder to remain neutral. There's no union in China, just serfs building cars for GM.

I've read that GM's top executives just split up $100 million in bonuses. I've got a bonus for them - my next car may be a Volvo assembled in the USA.

The "serfs" building cars in China are a lot better off than they used to be with their then subsistence agrarian ways (an estimated 65 million died of starvation in the mid sixties). Rome wasn't built in a day and like the US workers before them (then the Japanese , then the Koreans) they will gradually work themselves up the food chain. Oh, and you do know that Volvo is a Chinese company don't you? (owned by Geely).

 

[Mister Dave]

The "serfs" building cars in China are a lot better off than they used to be with their then subsistence agrarian ways (an estimated 65 million died of starvation in the mid sixties). Rome wasn't built in a day and like the US workers before them (then the Japanese , then the Koreans) they will gradually work themselves up the food chain.

Yeah, that's easy to say. I didn't see any talk about giving them equal pay. There's all this human rights crap flying around, and then the same idiots buy a car and look the other way. Don't ever admit that you take advantage of economic slaves, 'cuz well, there's no moral high ground in it.

Oh, and you do know that Volvo is a Chinese company don't you? (owned by Geely).

Mmmm Hmmm and Toyota is Japanese. Toyota is also more American made than GM. Let's see, am I more concerned with filling Barra's wallet, or the wallets of US auto workers. Well, if they employ my fellow countrymen, that's a plus in their column.

Let's see if you know...... that all of GM's operations in China are 50% Chinese owned. Hmmm? Do they complain about it?

 

[FI Spyder]

Let's see if you know...... that all of GM's operations in China are 50% Chinese owned. Hmmm? Do they complain about it?

Like I said, most companies are international. If Chinese workers were paid the same as US workers, they would be living like kings as the cost of living is so much lower there. Apple's and oranges. A lot of what you would consider "US vehicles are actually made in Canada (they export 80% of production to US) but they use parts made in US. Very integrated. You can't separate them without massive disruption in the industry meanwhile the worker's mortgages still come due every month.

 

[Mister Dave]

Like I said, most companies are international. If Chinese workers were paid the same as US workers, they would be living like kings as the cost of living is so much lower there. Apple's and oranges. A lot of what you would consider "US vehicles are actually made in Canada (they export 80% of production to US) but they use parts made in US. Very integrated. You can't separate them without massive disruption in the industry meanwhile the worker's mortgages still come due every month.

Canadians make a comparable wage. As for the rest of it, your position is clear and so is mine except for one thing. I don't see Chinese people as oranges. I actually read about how they're treated while they make our 'affordable' products. Not much moral high ground there either.

P.S. Local purchasing power in the United States is 72.77% higher than in China. Pulled from the web:

In 2010, American’s average annual income is USD36,300 and Chinese USD4,700 , the United States is almost 8 times of China.

In order to have a clear comparison, here we suppose Chinese can earn the same income with Americans -8,000 a month, let us make a comparison.

In the United States Mercedes-Benz E-320 costs $50000, the equivalent of six months wages.

In China Mercedes-Benz E-RMB320, 980000, equivalent to 10 years wages for Chinese.

There's your lower cost of living.

 

[Qinsp]

The Volt was $100,000+ in China. It did not sell well.

 

[Mister Dave]

The Volt was $100,000+ in China. It did not sell well.

No but the Blazer will sell better here, thanks to cavalier attitudes and outright ignorance (the Buick did okay here).

I'll buy a car made in Canada any day, and Germany too for that matter, though I'll look at the ones made here first. No serf labor in those countries. I bought 2 made in London not so long ago.

 

[Mister Dave]

Here's an interesting dichotomy:

Cadillac Teams Up with Playbill to Kick Off 2018 LGBTQ Pride Month Activities

LGBTQ rights, but Chinese serfs - you just keep working on our cars. See any irony there? Also....

A report in Vanguardia says Mexican auto workers are paid on average between US $3.60 and $3.90 an hour to work on the asssembly line. The country with the next lowest pay is Taiwan where the average rate is $7.50 per hour. Poland is next at $7.80, followed by Brazil at $11.40.

At the other end of the scale are Germany, where the average pay rate for assembly line workers is $52 an hour. Belgium follows at $41.70 and Canada is next at $40.40.

Study points to large wage gaps for Mexican auto workers

Muchos gracias Mary Barra.

 

[Raymondjram]

Why such worries about where GM assembles their vehicles? I have a 2009 Chevy Equinox and had a 1995 Buick Regal, both assembled in Canada with international parts. The Equinox engine was made by GM-SAIC in China and the transaxle was made by Aisin in Japan. The sale was done in Puerto Rico but GM in the U.S. gets the profits and spreads it across the U.S. economy. Not the same for Volvos assembled in the U.S. as the Chinese owners get the profits.

BTW, any domestic vehicle manufactured between Alaska and Chile is "American", as all the nations are part of the American Hemisphere (our half of the world). That includes Canada and Mexico. So the new Chevy Blazer is 100% "American"!! But this doesn't count for foreign vehicles assembled (just put together from parts) in the Americas, as their brand determines their nationality and gets the profits.

 

[Raymondjram]

Toyota is also more American made than GM.

So GM finally bought Toyota!!!