Sign of Things to Come? Foreign Autos Vandalized to Promote Buying American

[Joey D]

Honestly? How ridiculous is this?

Foreign autos vandalized to promote buying American
Tensions are high in the Motor City, with good reason. At this point, the only chance General Motors and Chrysler have of avoiding bankruptcy is for President Bush to tap the remaining $15 billion from the first half of the $700 billion TARP fund. Unfortunately, the stress of the situation has gotten the better of some folks in SE Michigan. Four vehicles with foreign nameplates were vandalized recently at a Woodhaven, Michigan strip mall, just a stone's throw away from a Ford stamping plant. Each of the vehicles had two slashed tires and the phrase "Buy American" written on them. Surveillance video caught one middle-aged gentleman as he got out of a red Ford Escape to slash one of the car's tires and write something on it. Police say, however, they have no evidence that links Ford employees from the stamping plant to these acts of vandalism. We hope that remains the case, as headlines of organized labor attacking innocent Hondas and Toyotas is the last thing the Detroit 3 needs as it awaits the cash-filled hands of our lame duck president.

I mean never mind that many "American" vehicles are built in Canada or Mexico, never mind that many "American" vehicles share components with foreign brands (i.e. Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe), and never mind that the guy who pulled up in the Escape was driving something that had Mazda parts in it.

This sort of crap really isn't help the UAW's case any in this whole economic crisis. I think some people are just kidding themselves to say this wasn't UAW related and yes there is enough evidence, use the surveillance camera and identify the vehicle more clearly.

Looking through the comments on Autoblog some people just don't get it, the profits on Toyotas and Hondas sold here don't all go back to Japan. If that was the case then neither company would ever invest a penny here. I mean there would be no factories or advertisements if that was the case. People need to understand how a global economy works.

I'm just waiting for the day I come out of a shopping centre to see my car vandalised. I'm already yelled at by people in traffic, walking around, etc. Most of it shouldn't be repeated. I can honestly think of better things to do with my time then go up to someone in a parking lot and tell them they took my job because I bought a car made in England.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

This is just as stupid as racism IMO! In todays global climate, there is hardly anything "country-specific" anymore, like you expemplified (is that a word?). Basically all companies (OEM:s at least) in the world share things with eachother, being it parts, recepies, patents or just ideas, so violating a Toyota or a Honda is violating american products aswell! And basically it´s violating all OEM companies!
I guess stupidity will always exist, but you just can´t excuse your actions with being stupid.
Sadly, I´m pretty convinced this will spread, as the economy drops further.

 

[Moglet]

That's ridiculous, I had no idea some people in the US were so......well, just plain stupid. If that happened over here almost every car would be damaged

 

[mu22stang]

Meh, no reason to believe this is a trend by any means. I just think it's funny how yet another media idiot has to throw a Bush-curveball at the end - No relevance at all, or creativity.

 

[Div is back]

I suggest you go over on some UAW discussion forum and see what kind of crap they're posting.

1) Racking up as much CC debt as possible

2) Taking out a HELOC and spending all the $$

3) Doing everything possible to disrupt commerce in the USA.

And it seems they just added a fourth:

4) Vandalize every non American cars.

 

[Joey D]

Meh, no reason to believe this is a trend by any means. I just think it's funny how yet another media idiot has to throw a Bush-curveball at the end - No relevance at all, or creativity.

Come to the Detroit area, it's been happening since the 70's.

 

[mu22stang]

1) Racking up as much CC debt as possible

2) Taking out a HELOC and spending all the $$

Everyone already did that - why do you think the economy is in the mess it's in right now?

3) Doing everything possible to disrupt commerce in the USA.

I'm not too worried about that.

And it seems they just added a fourth:

4) Vandalize every non American cars.

Source? You know, this reminds me of the south - Trying desparately to hang on to a flawed ideal that will never transpire, whatever the consequences may be. A lot of changes are coming for the mortgage lenders, corporations, the auto industry, and the UAW alike. Some hooligans rallying and vandalizing in the name of American made cars won't change the fact that a good portion of them will soon be operating under a new regime, receiving lighter paychecks, and possibly getting sacked.

 

[Jim Prower]

It's like Hummers getting torched by Greenies, and the subesequent Prius-torching backlash.

 

[Joey D]

Source? You know, this reminds me of the south - Trying desparately to hang on to a flawed ideal that will never transpire, whatever the consequences may be. A lot of changes are coming for the mortgage lenders, corporations, the auto industry, and the UAW alike. Some hooligans rallying and vandalizing in the name of American made cars won't change the fact that a good portion of them will soon be operating under a new regime, receiving lighter paychecks, and possibly getting sacked.

The source is in the original post. And I'm willing to bet that the people who vandalised that car were UAW employees because as I've said they are the ones who are always yelling and screaming at me.

 

[homeforsummer]

I remember once that Jeremy Clarkson was accused of killing off the last of the British car industry, and he simply remarked that it was the industry's fault for not building cars that people wanted, and building them badly.

It seems mightily similar to the US car industry. There are a few diamonds in the rough, but by and large the industry is comprised of three lumbering dinosaurs building cars that (apart from a select, and not particularly profitable few) are way behind what the import makers can offer. People can't be blamed (and punished) for buying imports if the products they're being offered by domestic marques simply aren't good enough. The industry has brought it upon itself by being blissfully ignorant of what people want. Exactly like the British car industry did. Only here, people weren't backward enough to start vandalising cars from other countries.

And to be fair, Japanese marques in particular have invested heavily in the UK, which might go some way to explaining their popularity.

 

[Div is back]

Everyone already did that - why do you think the economy is in the mess it's in right now?



I'm not too worried about that.



Source? You know, this reminds me of the south - Trying desparately to hang on to a flawed ideal that will never transpire, whatever the consequences may be. A lot of changes are coming for the mortgage lenders, corporations, the auto industry, and the UAW alike. Some hooligans rallying and vandalizing in the name of American made cars won't change the fact that a good portion of them will soon be operating under a new regime, receiving lighter paychecks, and possibly getting sacked.

Please tell us who you work for or in what domain you are.

You sound awfully biaised.

 

[Joey D]

And to be fair, Japanese marques in particular have invested heavily in the UK, which might go some way to explaining their popularity.

It's no different in the US either, we have several Toyota, Honda and Nissan factories here. I think the only non-US built Honda's we get are the Fit and the S2000, most are built in Ohio it seems. And I think the only non-US built Toyota's are the Yaris and Prius with the other being built in what looks like Kentucky. Nissan builds the NA spec Altimas here and a few other things but I don't really know a ton about Nissan.

Really I think GM builds more of it's vehicles in other countries (including Canada and Mexico) then some of the foreign brands here. But it doesn't really matter as globalisation has pretty much made all of this a moot point.

 

[YSSMAN]

Come to the Detroit area, it's been happening since the 70's.

I was just going to say... This is Detroit, when has it not been happening?

 

[mu22stang]

Come to the Detroit area, it's been happening since the 70's.

If this is true, than how is this anything new, or directly related to what the news story is implying.

Please tell us who you work for or in what domain you are.

You sound awfully biaised.

How is anything I'm saying biased? In any case, irrelevant.

 

[Joey D]

If this is true, than how is this anything new, or directly related to what the news story is implying.

First off, yes it is true, there is no if about it.

It's news worthy because before now it really never made the news and this sort of behaviour could spill over into other areas if something happens to one of the US car companies.

 

[Jim Prower]

The funny thing is that Toyota's starting to fall into this same trap as well, as quality slips and the lineup becomes incredibly bland and uninteresting. the only problem they don't have is unionization.

If unions really wanted to sabotage foreign automakers, all they'd have to do is unionize their workers. But I'm not certain if that can be done.

 

[Joey D]

The funny thing is that Toyota's starting to fall into this same trap as well, as quality slips and the lineup becomes incredibly bland and uninteresting. the only problem they don't have is unionization.

If unions really wanted to sabotage foreign automakers, all they'd have to do is unionize their workers. But I'm not certain if that can be done.

Agreed, the only issue is that Toyota has perceived quality while GM, Ford and Chrysler do not. And I don't think it would be possible to unionise Toyota employees, you'd probably see Toyota pull out of America if that was the case.

 

[Robin]

Pft, vandalising Japaniese cars... yeah because thats going to save the american auto industry..

The simple fact is GM etc didnt update their cars and do things like increase economy enough like competitors did. Its like Rover in the UK... they didnt hardly any development for like 10 years and as a result there cars were a hard sell compared to other makes.

Ofcourse this isnt the sole reason why everything went belly up but poor development was a big contributing factor... the Volt should have come out like a year after the Prius, its too late to do stuff like that now.

Robin.

 

[Div is back]

If this is true, than how is this anything new, or directly related to what the news story is implying.



How is anything I'm saying biased? In any case, irrelevant.

You brushed what I brought forward with a simple "who cares, everyone else has been doing it for year", well guess what, these people didn't know better at the time, now they do and the UAW bolt pushers are purposely racking debt so YOU the taxpaper pay for them in some way shape or form.

Funny you also brushed off this question. I'd bet you're related to the UAW in some way shape or form, family, friends, business, whatever. This makes you an extremely subjective and biaised person to speak with it, which is just awful in this kind of debate.

 

[mu22stang]

You brushed what I brought forward with a simple "who cares, everyone else has been doing it for year", well guess what, these people didn't know better at the time, now they do and the UAW bolt pushers are purposely racking debt so YOU the taxpaper pay for them in some way shape or form.

Funny you also brushed off this question. I'd bet you're related to the UAW in some way shape or form, family, friends, business, whatever. This makes you an extremely subjective and biaised person to speak with it, which is just awful in this kind of debate.

I'd agree that paying for someone elses debt is the stupidiest idea of the century. However, I don't think you have a full grasp of how debt works, or how this bailout works.

As far as your intuition about my association with the UAW - you're wrong. I'm just trying to make sure those reading this thread understand that this is gossip, not news. It's not going to turn into a car vandalizing epidemic and the small number of idiots doing this stuff are fighting an uphill battle.

 

[KAMKA-Z]

Come to the Detroit area, it's been happening since the 70's.

In the late 70s and early 80s, (Old F**t speaking here) the big three were loosing market share very rapidly because of the ugly, shoddy junk they were turning out. This sort of thing was quite commonplace. People driving foreign cars in the Detroit area were commonly "run off the road" because of the car they chose to drive. Even in Minneapolis I took flak for driving "Japanese Sh**" from some of my peers.

The funny thing is that Toyota's starting to fall into this same trap as well, as quality slips and the lineup becomes incredibly bland and uninteresting. the only problem they don't have is unionization.

Toyota did bank rather heavily on the SUV Fad. They haven't had much to give auto enthusiasts in the US for years. They've been feeling the rough economy too. But, They still have excellent quality and dependability. I don't think that will change soon.

If unions really wanted to sabotage foreign automakers, all they'd have to do is unionize their workers. But I'm not certain if that can be done.

The foreign manufacturers with US plants have always considered that possibility in the back of their minds. They placed most of their plants farther south where wages were lower and unions were fewer. They placed themselves where they were some of the better paying jobs in the area and keep their people happy so they don't consider unionization. I feel if Toyota workers voted to unionize, (or insert other manufacturer here) Toyota would move elsewhere.

 

[mu22stang]

I feel if Toyota workers voted to unionize, (or insert other manufacturer here) Toyota would move elsewhere.

Indeed, there are plenty are places to provide cheaper labor costs and avoid the obvious downfalls of unionized labor. Plus, state-of-the-art facilities with a higher focus on worker satisfaction will start to make a mark on the industry. Just look at Ferrari's Formula Uomo, Ford's new plant in Brazil or VW's Phaeton plant. These may be expensive and on the upper end of the scale, but if this type of job environment catches on, it could provide a nice change to the warehouse assembly line. Even if a whole new facility isn't built, many of the processes and innovation may find themeselves in run of the mill truck and car plants in the U.S.

Of course, that's assuming all the UAW members aren't in jail because of vandalism, they aren't bankrupt because they're running up debt to "hurt" everyone else, and they realize the nature of the monotonous jobs they're lucky to have.

 

[Leonidae]

xenophobia fail

A Hawaiian Chevrolet dealership setup a jacked-up Suburban to crush a vintage Honda Accord to send a message to anyone buying Japanese. The message became somewhat cluttered when the tiny Honda broke the SUV.

James Severtson, the general sales manager of Island Chevrolet in Hilo, Hawaii, hired a Chevrolet Suburban monster truck to drive over a used Honda Accord before a large crowd in order to highlight the importance and strength of American automakers. Instead, Severtson highlighted domestic quality issues when the truck blew a hydraulic hose and started leaking fluid after its first pass over the Accord. A few hours later the truck was repaired and the Accord, which proved to be too tough a competitor, was replaced with a Hyundai Excel.

This time it went off without a hitch. Let that be a lesson to you. If at first you don't succeed go to the White House for help try, try again.

 

[Stevisiov]

 

[Appie]

Oh man that's so funny

 

[Jim Prower]

Well, that's what you get when you try and build a monster truck without consulting any of the work by Bob Chandler or Bob Schaefer.

Had that been Bigfoot or Bearfoot, (the original Ford or Chevy, even) that thing'd be toast.

I mean, I don't even see a front driveshaft on that thing.

 

[Div is back]

Well, that's what you get when you try and build a monster truck without consulting any of the work by Bob Chandler or Bob Schaefer.

Had that been Bigfoot or Bearfoot, (the original Ford or Chevy, even) that thing'd be toast.

I mean, I don't even see a front driveshaft on that thing.

Are you trying to justify this?

 

[Jim Prower]

Not really. Just saying they had a crappy monster truck. I guess that talk is more for Questionable Modifications.

 

[Joey D]

Agreed, I don't think that "monster truck" could be capable of doing anything. It's not so much the car killed it as shoddy craftsmanship.

 

[Philly]

So in the end it's: "Don't buy American. It'll break."