Surprising Japanese Exports: American Jobs
The fact that GM creates 6,000 jobs in China and will invest $11 billion in China until 2016 (and $16 billion in America) gets all the headlines. What falls under the table is the fact that someone else invests $76 billion each year straight into more than a million Americans. It’s the Japanese auto industry.
Japanese-branded automobile plants account for nearly 40 percent of all U.S. automobile production. What’s more, Japanese automakers are a major driver of exports – from America to the world. Honda estimates it will become a “net exporter” of automobiles from North America by 2014. Toyota expects to export more vehicles from North American plants than the Detroit 3 automakers, and foresees a future where all Toyota cars sold in U.S .may eventually be built here.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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That picture of one of "N" reasons (where N is a very large number) that I will NEVER own a car built by the GM Toads. I made that mistake far too many times and was rewarded the the only cars on the road with less reliability than my "highly regarded" German roadside blockers. It's Japanese only, baby.
Our union made GMC Sierra(Flint, MI) and Chevrolet Tahoe(Janesville, WI) have blown both the Toyotas we have owned out of the water when it comes to reliability and initial quality. Anecdotal yes, but when it comes to fullsize PU trucks and SUVs I like GM stuff better than anything offered by the imports. The fact that they are more reliable and/or engineered better is just icing on the cake.
U.S. exports are at an all-time high. Higher even than before the bust. Its one of the few bright spots in the economy, and one of the reasons we are doing better than the Euros. exports/imports are not a ledger book add and subtract analysis.
Wait...so were I to roll up in the Husky Mine Detection Vehicle that I operated in Baghdad and several of my friends are currently rocking in Kandahar I couldn't park it here since it is assembled in South Africa and sported a Benz power plant? How Patriotic.