Voters Blame Trade Agreements for Job Losses

[Savannahmann]

80. But many "foreign" cars are made in America

Starting with the plant that's been in the news quite often, Volkswagen in Tennessee. They build the Passat model there, and Volkswagen has announced it is planning on spending $5 Billion to increase their share in the North American Market. Right now they're number three, they hope to be number one.

Toyota has a plant in Texas, and one in Indiana. Kia has a plant in Georgia, which is a nice change since Ford shut down their plant in Georgia. BMW has a plant in South Carolina. Honda Accord, 80% built in America, which is more than most of the cars the "american" companies offer.

Should I go on? These are not merely assembly plants either, many of the components of those cars are "American" made. The Toyota Sienna van I bought (Built in Indiana) is 75% American made. The Kia Sorento is 60% made in America, roughly the same percentage as a Ford F-150 pick up truck.

Merely going by the name of the car is not a good way to determine where the vehicle was built. The Ford Transit van for example, is not built in America, well that's not entirely true. 10% of it is. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/page/made-america-car-american-made-13795239

The Ford Fusion with it's european styling appears to be leading a resurgance in Detroit. I admit it's a pretty good car, and it should be since it was built in the most modern factory Ford owns, the one in Mexico. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermosillo_Stamping_%26_Assembly

One of the many reasons I bought the Toyota Sienna van was because it was built in Indiana. Add to that quality product, long life expectancy, reliability, efficiency, and we'll throw in comfort for shits and giggles. I only wish I'd sprung for the handicapped access package, but wishes and fishes and all that sort of thing. http://toyotamobility.com/

American made isn't Ford, GM, or Chrystler any more. It hasn't been for a long time. But knee jerk reactions always call them "American" brands while ignoring the cars that are actually built in the country. I've never understood that, because it demonstrates the massivly ill informed population that is reacting to the name, instead of the facts.