I wanted to start this up and see what everyones thoughts are.


What makes and import and where was your car assembled or manufactured?

For instance a Dodge Stealth R/T TT, it was made in Japan by Mitsubishi, which will qualify it as an import even though it bears the Dodge name.
A Chrysler Conquest TSi, it's got an American name, but is 100% Japanese, same as the Mitsubishi Starion ESi-R, same thing just different names.

What are your views and thoughts, what to you makes an import or a domestic?

BTW I know you can tell by the VIN# but lets put that aside and just discuss your opinions

 

it doesnt matter where its made. since the tC is made in japan and sold in the us its considered domestic. unlike the xB and xA which i believe are both sold in japan are considered imports but just bear the Scion name instead of Toyota. Dodge and Ford both have cars that arent avaiable in the US but are available in different countries but i think those are still considered imports to that country.

 

Uh...in what world is a car made in Japan considered a domestic car if it's sold in America. By your definition, nothing in America shipped from another country is an imported good? "Import" is short for "imported" meaning it came from one port in one country to another port in our country. If something is shipped from Japan to the USA, it's an imported good. A Scion tC is an imported good. A Scion tC is an import car.

My stance on this is, even if the car is composited of materials from different countries, the final assembly point is the country of origin. If the car is not assembled in America, it's an import, regardless of make or model.

 

you say Final assembly. Even if the drive train and the chassis are both made overseas but assembled in the USA it is a domestic car?

 

Moved to OT.

 

domestic-car companies initially based in-country, import- companies based in other countries

 

This can be discussed into the ground, but just to chuck another log on the fire, my last Jeep had a Japanese Aisin Seiki transmission and transfer case, body panels made in Canada, axles made in Mexico was owned by a French company (Renault) and was considered a domestic since it was assembled here. Same with my Ford Explorer which had a Mexican tranny, German engine, misc Canadian parts and was assembled in the USA. Both had electronics from Japan.

Here in the USA we seem to think that a car assembled here is domestic, even if 100% of the parts come from other countries.

Some countries base it on the percentage of parts that are made in that country. Some base it on on where final assembly is done. Some base it on ownership of the company. Some base it on treaties (that applies to some extent to the US since Canadian made cars from American owned companies are "domestic").

Each and every one of those definitions of "domestic" has a very solid set of reasons as to why some things are domestic and others are not.

I'm in absolutely no position to make any sort of determination as to the "origin" of such a complex device as a car.

As it stands right now, there is not one single car for sale in the United States that is made of 100% US made parts - that's right, not one.

What is the correct criteria? Where it is assembled, where the parts are from, where the company HQ is located, the brand name, where the money goes? I dunno.

If it's the money, do we start trying to figure out where the stockholders are? That's who gets the money... In fact many US companies have significant overseas investors (and investments).

Where does Daimler-Chrysler fit?

Forget it. At least my Scion is fairly simple - it's made in Japan from primarily Japanese made parts and then imported to this country.

It's plainly and clearly an import.

 

On my '05 tC, the sticker on the car clearly pointed out that it was 100% Made in Japan with all Japanese materials...what about the xA and xB?

 

Yes, the xA and xB dataplates have said that from day one.