Germans cut a deal with China to make Chryslers/Dodges to import to U.S.

[OldGuy]

BEIJING (AP) -- DaimlerChrysler AG on Friday formally opened its first factory to make Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler sedans in China, joining a rush of foreign automakers scrambling for a share of the booming Chinese car market.
The company plans to expand its financing business and is talking to potential Chinese partners about possibly producing a lower-cost model for the U.S. market, said chairman Dieter Zetsche.
A key challenge for foreign automakers in China is the government's insistence that at least 40 percent of their components come from Chinese suppliers, whose quality is still uneven. Zetsche said DaimlerChrysler intends to meet that target, though he acknowledged that it would not be able to do so immediately.
The DaimlerChrysler factory is to produce Mercedes E-Class and Chrysler 300C sedans, as well as Mitsubishi's Outlander sport utility vehicles. It has an annual capacity of 25,000 Mercedes and 80,000 Chrysler and Mitsubishi vehicles.
Zetsche said DaimlerChrysler is talking with several possible partners about producing a lower-cost model to be sold in the United States under the Dodge brand.

There goes the neighborhood!! - The Chinese are notorious for lack of quality control.  I was thinking about buying a Chrysler 300.  I guess I'd better get it before they start coming from China.  I hope the new Challenger isn't the lower-cost model they are talking about coming out of China - if so, it will probably fall apart on the road!!

[Orange_Crush]

Read the article again.

The cars produced at the beijing factory will be for the Chinese market.  The only car for US consumption that **MAY** be produced there would be the small car (Hornet Perhaps) but they're still looking for a partner on that one.  Right now the most likely candidate would be Volkswagen.

[41husk]

everything I have heard says the Challenger will be made at the Brammerton (sp) plant.

[OldGuy]

Orange Crush - Yeah, a lot of them are for Chinese consumption for now - but as soon as they get things up and running, using cheap labor and parts they will start to expand their export market.  Look at Ford - cutting 10,000 more salaried jobs and offering buyouts to all 75,000 union employees in the United States, closing two more plants in addition to the 14 they already have planned.  Chrysler just announced that it is cutting U.S. production through the end of 2006  - that is the continuing demise of U.S. auto manufacturing.  The Germans don't have the United State's interests in mind - if they can make a product cheaper and get more money out of it - they will - just like anyone else - including American businessmen.  That's the name of the game in global marketing and business.

When was the last time you bought quality hardware that was made in China?  You go down to Lowe's or Home Depot to buy some screws and the heads pop off or the they break off while working with them.  There is no quality control to meet a decent standard.  It is just a matter of time before U.S. quality is a thing of the past.

[Brock Samson]

one way to cut costs is in quality control,...
Take  "chrome clad" wheels, they arent actually chrome and look pretty good at first...
  I found out in buying stereo equipment, it pays off in the long run to spend the extra dough for the good TEAC stuff, even though the Emerson stuff was a quarter of the price...
what has also happened is now the Good Names are being bought out right and the quality lowered,.. the Buyer buys the new teac thinking it's a good brand cause of the good rep. but the companies actully been gutted and only the name remains, the product is actually crap... AWIA for example...
that's why the older stuff is better... I'd much rather buy old iron, rather then new iron...
anyone care to debate this?.. 

[derailed]

  I bought a Sony STR-DE845 about 5 or 6 years ago and that thing has been down 3 times. I remember when there stuff was good. I have some older Teac stuff up in my closet, maybe its time to break it out again

[dodge freak]

I am not going to say China makes good stuff but the big reason China stuff is so cheap is they pay the worker almost nothing, in fact China makes people in prison work in factory's and they make more than just license plates. They are one of the most inhumane country's in the world today.

[greenpigs]

  Well whenever they build one to ship to the USA just don't buy it. In a few years China is going to start dumping there own cars into the USA car market..just don't buy them. The old days of people making $25\hr putting American cars together is OVER and now GM is paying $8.25 starting out at the Moraine plant and the local Chrysler plant pays about $8\hr and tops out at $12\hr. Still, China is way cheaper.
  Lack of GOOD management and yawn inspiring designs(with VERY few exceptions) along with bloated prices have nearly killed the US automakers.
 

[derailed]

I couldnt imagine working there for $8/hour or trying to raise a family today even on $12/hour. Thats pathetic and im sure the morale and craftsmanship will reflect it because the only people theyll probably get working there are young kids. Hope the good old anti union folks will be happy with there product when its done.

[dodge freak]

At least those jobs have insurance coverage, many jobs today do not. Only way some family's are getting by is on credit cards and bank loans. They are not paying everything off every month they just pay the min. payment each month. Not a way I hope to ever live. Not sure if I ever have kids-maybe one day but I am in no rush, might be lonely some nights-most really-but at least I know what I owe and can take a trip now and then. $8 an hour to work in a hot factory-not for me thats for sure. Sad part is when they start to hire people the line will be blocks long

[daytonalo]

I just watched the news about ford , ford pays 63 an hour and Toyota pays 45 . Do the math , if your looking for someone to blame , look no further than the U.A.W , U.A.W . U.A.W, U.A.W ................   IS that job really worth 65 an hour including benefits , if you do wake the fuck up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[dodge freak]

I always look at it the other way around. Why work for $45 an hour if you can-at least they did-get $63. And those # are not the cash they take home every week, much of it is insurance coverage for their wife and kids.

[Ghoste]

Daytonalo you might want to check your facts on that one.  Even if the Ford worker was actually making 63 bucks an hour (and they're NOT), the labor costs still account for a tiny fraction of the total cost of the product.  You want to blame the unions?  Great, knock yourself out.
Remeber when Chrylser went to the evil UAW and asked for concessions and got them?  The other two automakers immediately went crying down the same road and begged for clemency from the terrible union because there would be no way they could compete with Chrysler.  What did GM do when they got their concessions?  Awarded the upper management with a huge bonus for being such sharp businessmen.  And did the price of your new Chevy go down?  Not one red cent.
The guys who bleed and sweat on the lines don't have the market cornered on greed, they learned it from their bosses.

[Silver R/T]

Read the article again.

The cars produced at the beijing factory will be for the Chinese market. The only car for US consumption that **MAY** be produced there would be the small car (Hornet Perhaps) but they're still looking for a partner on that one. Right now the most likely candidate would be Volkswagen.

how could a chinese average worker be able to afford a Merz or actual new car...bicycle worked for them for centuries

[Brock Samson]

well wake up and smell the coffee,.. 
i'd like to go on about this but if ya' really care it's on the web...
german workers are paid the most... chinese the least... do the math...
i recived a 12% pay cut last yr. and lost most  of my benifits a weeks vacation and four sick days.. in one contract my unioin surrendered 30 years worth of gains... at least i got to keep my job.
mean while The managers got a 25%  pay raise... they already got (i wouldn't say "earned") four times what i made...
they also hired more managers and laid off 300 union workers. we now have one manager for every four workers...
think about that... 

[daytonalo]

As I mentioned , I stated 63 an hour including benefits ! Any one who agrees that this number is fair they obviously have a union job ! When you have a union job , you work much less and make a fortune , wake up unions are ruining this country ! I will bet the only people who are for unions , are the overpaid union worker , and the fat cat union bosses who live off your back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have friends in various unions and I bust their balls all the time , and they will admit that it is a big fucking scam !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brock Samson]

No! You Wake Up!   

[daytonalo]

Don't get your panties in a bunch , you might have to go work for a living !

[daytonalo]

How many union workers does it take to install 5 lug nuts ?? 6 , well 5 are supervising while the sixth installs the lugs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[derailed]

 How many Wal Mart workers does it take to put the spare tire back in the trunk properly??
Ans.   Not possible. No one in the shop can figure it out

When it comes to hiring good help, ya get what what you pay for!!!     

[daytonalo]

So lets pay him 63 an hour incl benefits , is that the answer ?

[derailed]

First off im sure these people making $63/hour if thats the case are doing more than putting lugnuts on cars and have probably been there most of there lives and deserve decent pay for the time they have spent there. you can blame the demise on the union scaled wages. I say its nothing but bullshit and greed from the upper end. Why should the workers who are the backbone of these big companies be the ones moving backwards instead of forward? In case you havent noticed the cost of living isnt getting any cheaper so why should pay scales be dropping. Oh wait, the cost of living is the unions fault to. Ive stated my opinion and ill leave it at that. Sorry for hijacking your thread oldguy.

[daytonalo]

I think I pooped my depends !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[derailed]

See, i knew you were full of shit   

[Johnny SixPack]

I think I pooped my depends !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!