Honda first Japanese automaker to be net exporter from U.S.

[Bakemono36]

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/29/honda-first-japanese-carmaker-net-exporter-from-us/

Over the last decade or so, many foreign automakers have challenged the idea of what defines an "American car," but Honda took things a step further last year by exporting more cars out of the US than it imported in.Reuters is reporting that in 2013, a total of 108,705 Honda and Acura models were exported from the US with only 88,357 being shipped in. This gives Honda a net exporter status here, and makes it the first of such among the major Japanese automakers.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Cool, but the people who buy cars because they're "American" aren't going to be swayed by this.

 

[Bakemono36]

I agree 100%. I still dont consider Honda to be American and until the day comes that Honda gets sold to an American company of investor, I never will.
Its kind of like with Nissan. With their current ownership, I dont really consider them to be a Japanese automaker anymore.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Considering that the yen is at an unfavorable position compared to the dollar in terms of exports from Japan to America and elsewhere, it makes sense to build cars here in America and export them under the value of the dollar.

 

[Omnis]

I'd rather send money somewhere besides wasteland Detroit. But nationalism in the car industry is stupid. Just buy the best vehicle.

 

[Keef]

Is that why Honda cars are fricking terrible, they're all made in the US?

 

[kikie]

I used to like Honda a lot. I even had two Honda CBR 1000 motorcycles.

Look, my favourite Honda I use to have:

 

[Omnis]

Is that why Honda cars are fricking terrible, they're all made in the US?

Yep. Made in Ohio in your scum neighborhood.

 

[Robin]

Lots of our Honda's and Nissan's made here are actually exported back to Japan.

 

[Slash]

I used to like Honda a lot. I even had two Honda CBR 1000 motorcycles.

Look, my favourite Honda I use to have:

The only good thing Honda makes are ATV's/dirtbikes and the occasional road legal motorcycle.

At least in my opinion.

 

[kikie]

The first generation CRX was a very good and reliable car.

After the first generation CRX, Honda went downwards, model wise and I never looked twice at Honda anymore. Not even the NSX.

 

[Pupik]

I agree 100%. I still dont consider Honda to be American and until the day comes that Honda gets sold to an American company of investor, I never will.
Its kind of like with Nissan. With their current ownership, I dont really consider them to be a Japanese automaker anymore.

Honda doesn't have to deal as much with unions.

Honda uses American raw materials whenever possible because it makes business sense.

Honda's likely to re-invest plenty of their earnings into other ventures in America.

And with the growth of the brand, more Honda dealerships, parts suppliers, and other ancillary personnel are created which employ people in America.

Oh wait, their name means "rice field". How un-American.

 

[homeforsummer]

Lots of our Honda's and Nissan's made here are actually exported back to Japan.

That isn't strictly true, at least as of the moment.

There was a time when we exported some cars back to Japan, but at the moment every Nissan made in the UK - Leaf, Juke, Note - has a factory producing its equivalent back in Japan. We also produce the Honda Civic, CR-V and Jazz in Honda's Swindon plant, all of which also have their own factories in Japan. The Accord, CR-Z, Insight etc are all imported from Japan (and have really suffered in the last five years thanks to poor exchange rates).

We do, however, produce the above vehicles for the European market. And I believe Nissan's plant near Sunderland is one of the most productive in Europe.

The only good thing Honda makes are ATV's/dirtbikes and the occasional road legal motorcycle.

At least in my opinion.

That's quite a short-sighted view. Much maligned though they are, Honda still produces quite a few very good cars.

 

[Adamgp]

Building cars here doesn't make Honda an American company.

 

[alonsof1fan91]

Cool, but the people who buy cars because they're "American" aren't going to be swayed by this.

Is this a real issue in the US? I live in germany and car-nationalism is pretty bad here in most places :S I hoped the US would be more open minded about this, IIRC there are more japanese cars build in the us than "american" ones, right?

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Is this a real issue in the US? I live in germany and car-nationalism is pretty bad here in most places :S I hoped the US would be more open minded about this, IIRC there are more japanese cars build in the us than "american" ones, right?

I'd wager that America is one of the strongest places in the world for car-nationalism. There are places where you'll get verbally abused for driving something that isn't American, and I know that in parts of Detroit if you drive a non-American car you could be beat up just for that.

 

[Bakemono36]

Honda doesn't have to deal as much with unions.

Thats not a bad thing in my book. I absolutely cannot stand the UAW.

 

[Pupik]

I know that in parts of Detroit if you drive a non-American car you could be beat up just for that.

I'd say that's a big maybe; the dwindling population of the area tilts things in the favor of the import owner. Still, it's probably more about looking for a fight than assuming your car is open season for assault because it wasn't made by the Big Three. Granted, if your friends, family, and relatives work for Brand XYZ, you'd probably want others to support them and the supporting or satellite industries relevant to the industry. But, unions probably don't help break the vicious cycle: It might have meant something eight decades ago when working conditions were unhealthy, the assembly floor was unsafe, and hours might have been miserable. Now it seems like gold-plated protection against Right to Work (the Orwellian-named phrase for something that used to be called Open Shop).

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I'd say that's a big maybe; the dwindling population of the area tilts things in the favor of the import owner. Still, it's probably more about looking for a fight than assuming your car is open season for assault because it wasn't made by the Big Three. Granted, if your friends, family, and relatives work for Brand XYZ, you'd probably want others to support them and the supporting or satellite industries relevant to the industry. But, unions probably don't help break the vicious cycle: It might have meant something eight decades ago when working conditions were unhealthy, the assembly floor was unsafe, and hours might have been miserable. Now it seems like gold-plated protection against Right to Work (the Orwellian-named phrase for something that used to be called Open Shop).

I was told by a Detroit resident himself that one of his friends nearly got the 🤬 beat out of him for driving a Toyota Tacoma through southern Detroit. I don't remember the date, but I'm pretty sure it was within the last 10 years. I know it's not a common thing, but given the attitudes of some people about American cars, it doesn't surprise me a bit that that sort of thing can happen.

 

[Wolfe]

Most population centers are pretty mixed, though. It Madison it's roughly 1/3 domestic brands, 1/3 European brands, and 1/3 Japanese/Korean brands, and in the smaller cities out here it's more like 60/40 on domestics and Japanese cars, with the occasional VW, Kia/Hyundai, or other.