"Mike Hunter" <mikehunt2 (AT) mailcity (DOT) com> wrote

Actually, today's consumers are choosing GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Mazda and
a host of other makes.

Jeff

You are confused, again. GM and Ford have separate companies that build
cars in Europe. If they did send American vehicles to Europe they would
effect the cars made there, would be one reason.

The prices of European cars ARE going up in the US, where domestic easy
outsell any European cars. American and European manufacturers do not have
the no US federal corporate income tax advantage in the US, that Japanese
companies enjoy. .

mike

"DH" <dh (AT) stargate (DOT) com> wrote

"Mike Hunter" <mikehunt2 (AT) mailcity (DOT) com> wrote

How would this be? Can't they build different cars on the assembly line?

Jeep sells their vehicles in the UK, although I don't know where they are
made, I believe they are made in the US and probably Canada.

Ford sells the mid-size Rangers in the UK from Thailand, where they plan on
shipping to seventy countries
(http://media.ford.com/newsroom/relea...?release=1650). (In
England the Ranger is midsize for trucks, apparently.)

If Ford can build cars for 70 countries in Thailand, they can build for the
European market in the US.

There are other reasons not to make cars for Europe in the US, like
Europeans would rather their vehicles be made close to home, it is cheaper
to assembly vehicles close to where you are going to sell them, and there is
not that much overlap in the vehicles that are sold in Europe and the US
(there are only three or four Fords that are sold both in the US and
Europe), and where there is overlap, there are often differences in engines
(the Ranger in Europe includes a turbo-diesel option) and safety equipment,
as well as options.

Jeff

You are free to believe whatever you chose.

mike

"Jeff" <news (AT) googlemail (DOT) com> wrote

"Mike Hunter" <mikehunt2 (AT) mailcity (DOT) com> wrote

Excellent comeback. They can build Jeeps for Europe in the US, but Ford
can't build vehicles in the US for Europe?

You're like my colon, Mike: Full of ....

Jeff

On Apr 5, 10:24 am, "Jeff" <n... (AT) googlemail (DOT) com> wrote:
Actually Ford used to ship Explorers to Europe. They have stopped now
since they also own Land Rover - no need to compete with yourself it a
realtively limited market. Ford's original entry into Europe was
shipping over US built cars. For the most part, Ford divisons in
Eurpoe were originally set up to import Model Ts and eventually got
into manufacturing vehicles more suitable for the changing European
markets. Early on Europen countries imposed stiff gasoline taxes
making high fuel efficieny a priority for Europe. They also imposed
stiff tariffs on improted cars. It made sense for Ford to build
European specific cars early on. Even today Europeans have different
priorities for their cars. Cost competition is not nearly as intense
in Europe as in the US. Gasoline is much more expensive in Europe than
in the US. On the other hand diesel fuel is realtively cheap in Europe
(comapred to their gasoline), so diesel cars are in high demand.
European are also more chauvanistic than Americans. I am not saying
some Brits won't buy US cars, but the average Brit or Geman is more
likely to be predisposed towards a English or German car than a US
buyer is towards a US car. European also don't drive as many miles per
year as in the US. Europeans tend to have more and better mass transit
options than we do in the US. Europeans, at least Western Europeans,
don't keep cars for nearly as long as we do in the US. Europeans
aren't obsessed wih changing oil like we are in the US. Since Ford
(and GM) already have large manufacturing operations in Europe, why
would they go to the expense of modifying US designs to sell in
Europe? Why would they pay large transportation costs to haul cars to
Europe, when they can manufacture them in Europe for close to the same
cost and avoid the transportation costs?

On the otherhand Ford did have plans to try and introduce the Lincoln
brand in Europe (with the Lincoln LS as the first significant entry).
However after buying Volvo, Ford decided that this would be another
case of Ford competing with Ford. Between Ford, Volvo, and Jaguar,
they pretty much have the whole price range covered in Europe.

Interestingly, GM has been trying to establish Chevrolet as a global
brand, although the Chevrolets they sell in the UK are not your
Mother's Chevrolet (see http://www.chevrolet.co.uk/index.html ). GM
also sells Corvettes and Cadillacs in Europe (US manufactured).

Other US cars sites in Europe:

http://www.dodge.co.uk/dodge/vehicle.aspx?ID=769,22
http://www.chrysler.co.uk/chrysler/index.aspx
http://www.gm.com/automotive/vehicle...rldwide_sites/
http://www.ford.com/en/company/about...es/default.htm

Ed