Wow, Glue, I reckon it's because of where ye live. I used to live in San Francisco area, love it there! Really for me, I've never seen a truck I didn't like. Some of course I like more than others, but I just like trucks. A man can never have too many. I only have two now. One shy. And, I've lived many years in Japan, so I know Japanese products better than the average bear (as old Yogi said). But, even in Japan, it's almost impossible to buy Made in Japan products! Just like here, all Hecho en Chine, for MANY years there. Japanese names, but Hecho en Chine. Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, all of them.

Yep, global economy all right. Okay with me, but I still try to buy Hecho en USA.

 

The '05 Tundra was the first "high quality truck" I've ever owned/experienced. The wife and I used to jokingly refer to it as "the Lexus"; it was that good.

But the Tacomas have been great too, just not quite as "cush" as the Tundra.

However, I will say that the '15 F-150 has taken the Tundra cache' and upped it by a few notches. We've not quite gotten a 1,000 miles on the F-150, and every one of them has been a pleasure.

 

Sorry Bill, not the same. The T was built overseas to sell overseas. Transoceanic transportation was a bit lacking in those days.

The point here that some of you seem to be missing is that many of the vehicles on dealers lots today are assembled outconus or overseas with a global supply of parts and these vehicles are being imported for sale into America with little or no American labor involvement.

You want me to get over it? No sir, I don't think I can.

 

If we want to have manufacturing here we need to be competitive, which is a tough thing to do with the business climate in lots of places in this country. That's the fix.

Honestly it doesn't bother me a whole heck of a lot. The Chinese workers who assembled my phone need to eat just as much as the Japanese workers who made my car. Same as the American workers who made my last truck, and the Mexicans who made the engine in my previous truck. I'm sure I'm in the overwhelming minority in this area,

I like buying American, but the notion isn't really worth much to me. If someone wants my dollars they need to do it better than everyone else.

 

GuyGene did you pick that name because you lived in Japan? I spent a couple months a year in Tokyo & Osaka over a ten year period.

I have nothing against Toyota, in fact I believe all the vehicles on the market today are better because Toyota raised the bar.

It's a tough question on what's American made these days. With something as complicated as a car it's almost impossible. The folks at Kogod School of Business did a nice job of trying to quantify what made in America means. I like their analysis.

I always try to buy American first, but I won't throw my money away to do it. When my wife buys her GM cars I check the VIN to make sure it's made in an American plant.

Ford is moving plants back to the US. Look at the Fusion Plant and the Heavy duty truck plants as examples.

 

won't ever happen until CEO's stop flying around in corporate jets making 1000 times what the person buying their junk makes.
While enjoying the teac, leather and white marble with gold plated trim.
Nothing wrong with being rich, showing off the excess while stealing peoples pensions is.

 

I recently went to Lowes to purchase some drill bits. On the left was a brand with the Made in the USA flag on it and on the right was the Lowes house brand and was made in China. Then I looked at the price between the two and the one with the American flag costs ~$4 more.


I paid the extra $4 dollars without hesitation.... Thank you very much!

 

1981 thru today 17 digit VIN: The first digit of the VIN is the country of origin: 1 = USA / 2 = Canada / 3 = Mexico.

Every Fusion since 2006 has been assembled at FoMoCo's plant in Hermosillo Mexico.

So why would Ford plan to assemble them in the US, when it's far cheaper to do so in Mexico? Doesn't make any sense.

No UAW in Mexico, where the assembly line workers make a fraction of what US/Canada workers make.

 

Here is a link to an article. As I understand it the plant in Mexico is at full production & the Flat Rock plant is adding to the output. Whatever the case some number of Fusions are made in the USA.

https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...of-1-200-.html

Only $4 for USA drill bits, no brainer I would have bought them as well.

 

That's not completely true anymore. Did a quick search for used cars and found several 2014 and 2015 Fusions with VINs beginning with 1. They were both base model SEs though, all the Titanium models I found were Hecho en Mexico.

 

The 1st Fusions starting rolling off the Flat Rock line in August 2013.

 

I know this is a truck forum, but I know Bill likes to see actual data. Here's one that was built in Flat Rock; it's for sale about a half hour from me. The majority of their inventory is Mexican though.

http://www.inventory.ford.com/servic...6P0H71F5100598

 

The number of humans involved in the construction of a vehicle is getting smaller and smaller (or fewer and fewer as it were). The point being that a lot of manufacturing is coming back on-shore, simply because the "labor" involved in making a product (not just cars and trucks) is becoming a smaller part of the equation.