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Fiat/Chrysler won't build cars in the US anymore


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Just heard today that Fiat/Chrysler will no longer build any cars in the US... they will instead concentrate on their Jeep and Ram brands. Cars will now be built only in Mexico and Canada, not in the US.

Not sure if this is good, bad, or indifferent... just interesting.

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The holding company FCA owns both Fiat Group and Chrysler Group. Its headquarters are in the Netherlands, and it is considered a British company for tax purposes. Neither Chrysler nor Fiat can pick Turin or Auburn Hills as a primary headquarters for both companies because it would cause uproar in both automakers' respective countries.

So does any of this really matter anymore?  Ford also has abandoned most USA manufacturing.  Fusions are made in Mexico. Blame Bill Clinton for NAFTA.

Edited by Tom Geiger
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Jeep is actually globalizing.  They were only built in the USA until this past year when Fiat started building the Renegade and Fiat 500x crossover (yea, they are the same car!) in Italy. Both are selling very well in Europe.

Jeep started producing the Renegade in Brazil this year, as well as gearing up for production in both China and Italy.

Note that most of the Ram line are now Fiat models, some odd looking vans for sure!

 

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Jeeps are also built (assembled) in Egypt. Or at least they were when I lived there from 2005-2009. Because of that, Jeep was the only American car in Egypt exempt from the huge import tariff on foreign cars. That tariff could be up to 100% of the car's price in some cases, I was told. 

The Jeep plant was in Cairo and even that was an interesting story with different versions.  Just about everybody agreed it was an old Russian-built factory. Some people said the factory once built Russian missiles. Others said Russian farm tractors or cars were originally built there. 

One thing's for sure - the old Russian Lada was still a very popular car in Egypt.  I lived in Alexandria and almost all taxicabs were Ladas.  They still had the giant, cast-iron, knee-cracking taxi meters under the dash. None of those meters had worked since the Brezhnev Era.  Since Alexandria is right on the Mediterranean, almost all the old Ladas had Flintstone Floors and various parts corroding off at random.  I started to get into a taxi one day and the door handle came off in my hand. The driver just shrugged, opened the door from the inside, and tossed the door handle on the floorboard. 

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Both the Ford plant in Edison, New Jersey and the GM plant in Linden, New Jersey are long gone.  Buildings demolished and retail malls built in their place. That's what's happened to America, decent factory jobs where men supported families replaced with service sector retail where everyone makes minimum wage!

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Manufacturing in the US can be done and done well. 

Last month I visited the Ford Rouge plant (Dearborn) where all Ford F-150's are built.......a fantastic plant (you can tour) that builds great vehicles. (I own one FY I)

There are things that need change I will not get into for fear of a major political meltdown. 

Toyota and Honda build cars and components here so things can change.

BTW I gave up on Chrysler around the MB buyout.....down hill since....very sad.

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Jeeps are also built (assembled) in Egypt. Or at least they were when I lived there from 2005-2009. Because of that, Jeep was the only American car in Egypt exempt from the huge import tariff on foreign cars. That tariff could be up to 100% of the car's price in some cases, I was told. 

The Jeep plant was in Cairo and even that was an interesting story with different versions.  Just about everybody agreed it was an old Russian-built factory. Some people said the factory once built Russian missiles. Others said Russian farm tractors or cars were originally built there. 

One thing's for sure - the old Russian Lada was still a very popular car in Egypt.  I lived in Alexandria and almost all taxicabs were Ladas.  They still had the giant, cast-iron, knee-cracking taxi meters under the dash. None of those meters had worked since the Brezhnev Era.  Since Alexandria is right on the Mediterranean, almost all the old Ladas had Flintstone Floors and various parts corroding off at random.  I started to get into a taxi one day and the door handle came off in my hand. The driver just shrugged, opened the door from the inside, and tossed the door handle on the floorboard. 

IIRC, those are built for the Middle Eastern Market, all we get here are the stamped steel parts to convert the 4dr Wranglers into their 2dr Pickup J8 built for Military use.

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The holding company FCA owns both Fiat Group and Chrysler Group. Its headquarters are in the Netherlands, and it is considered a British company for tax purposes. Neither Chrysler nor Fiat can pick Turin or Auburn Hills as a primary headquarters for both companies because it would cause uproar in both automakers' respective countries.

So does any of this really matter anymore?  Ford also has abandoned most USA manufacturing.  Fusions are made in Mexico. Blame Bill Clinton for NAFTA.

While I agree with you about Pres. Clinton signing the NAFTA agreement, you have to remember that NAFTA was created by Bush 1. We will never know what all went on behind closed doors, but I think it is wrong to blame Clinton for the NAFTA mess  that was created before he ever ran for president. That said I think time has proven it was the wrong thing to sign the agreement.   

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This might be an opportunity for GM, if they take advantage of it.  A lot of people swore off GM after the bailout, but some of those folks might return to the fold if they can get something that's built here.

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This might be an opportunity for GM, if they take advantage of it.  A lot of people swore off GM after the bailout, but some of those folks might return to the fold if they can get something that's built here.

I don't think the average numpty even notices.  For instance  Ford was building the original Transit Connects in Turkey. I didn't even see it in the enthusiast magazine reviews of the van! Second generation...  I know an owner of one. I asked him where it was built.  Got an "I dunno, Detroit?"   Nope the guy didn't even know it came from Spain.  

Many years ago...  we were at a gathering of my wife's family. Not a car person there, but three of us showed up in brand new cars.  My wife's snooty sister looked down her nose at my new Grand Caravan and said, "I don't know how you can buy an American car!"  To which I replied,  " I didn't, my Caravan was built in Canada but both Don's Honda and your Camry are American."

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Manufacturing in the US can be done and done well. 

Last month I visited the Ford Rouge plant (Dearborn) where all Ford F-150's are built.......a fantastic plant (you can tour) that builds great vehicles. (I own one FY I)

There are things that need change I will not get into for fear of a major political meltdown. 

Toyota and Honda build cars and components here so things can change.

BTW I gave up on Chrysler around the MB buyout.....down hill since....very sad.

The vast majority of Subaru's sold in the US are built in my hometown, Lafayette IN (and the plant was just doubled in size too--4,000 workers there).  Chevrolet & GMC pickups are built near Ft Wayne IN, Honda & Toyota both have assembly plants in Southern IN, and they are building CARS in St Joseph County IN--Mercedes Benz' crossover SUV's are built in Mishawaka IN, which is literally across the street from South Bend.

Art

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I don't think the average numpty even notices.  For instance  Ford was building the original Transit Connects in Turkey. I didn't even see it in the enthusiast magazine reviews of the van! Second generation...  I know an owner of one. I asked him where it was built.  Got an "I dunno, Detroit?"   Nope the guy didn't even know it came from Spain.  

 

Ford had no choice, blame the US and the Chicken Tax for that,   they had to build them as passenger vans , they then sent them to outfitter company in Baltimore that then converted them to cargo vans, Custom since stepped in and stopped that.

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The vast majority of Subaru's sold in the US are built in my hometown, Lafayette IN (and the plant was just doubled in size too--4,000 workers there).  Chevrolet & GMC pickups are built near Ft Wayne IN, Honda & Toyota both have assembly plants in Southern IN, and they are building CARS in St Joseph County IN--Mercedes Benz' crossover SUV's are built in Mishawaka IN, which is literally across the street from South Bend.

Art

Actually, Art, the Mercedes that AMGeneral are building are Chinese market only R-class. We (MBUSI in Tuscaloosa, AL) are still the only plant that builds the GLE and GLS as well as most US market C-class sedans. We had to contract Mishawaka to build the R class to free up capacity for the others.

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I'm not sure it necessarily means job losses in the US... they'll just be building different vehicles... Jeeps, Ram trucks and SUVs instead of Darts, Chargers, and Challengers.

The modern Chargers, Challengers and 300s are built in Canada, I believe they have always been since they came out in the 00s.   

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Meh. Let's face it- people in the US aren't really buying Chrysler cars anymore. No sense building something here (or anywhere, really) if it has no market. Dodge has, what, four cars in it's lineup? Two of them are "specialty" type vehicles, and nobody's buying the Dart. I've actually seen about as many Fiat 500s on the road as Darts, and I live an area with lots of UAW mooks who like to preach "Buy 'Murican" even if that means buying something laughably inferior to the competition. At any rate, the Dart is dead at the end of next year and no replacement has been announced. Same goes for the 200, so that will leave Chrysler with a whopping total of one passenger car in it's lineup. 

Honestly, I'm convinced I'll live to see the day that the Dodge and Chrysler nameplates are discontinued altogether. 

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