Want you guys opinion on something I just thought about. Has Toyota replaced Chrysler in the big 3 car companies of the US? Although they are making pretty decent cars lately, Chrysler seems to have lost some of their appeal as being an "American" car company. Don't get me wrong, Ford and GM are not completely american anymore either but they're still perceived to be. Its seems to me that Toyota has taken on an image of an American car company more than being a Japanese one imo. What do you guys think?

 

No. When you think of Toyota, you still think Japanese, even though many of their cars are built here.

 

True. It's one of Japanese Big 3 with Honda and Nissan.

 

As far as ownership goes, Chrysler could have been considered foreign for years now. They were previously owned by Diamler, which owns Mercedes Benz. Now they are owned by Fiat.

 

Thanks guys but I've shouldve made an emphasise on the image part of my topic. I'm fully aware of the ownership/ production standpoint but i've come to see Chrysler as a niche product now and not mainstream as the others mentioned. That said, I view Toyota as the third major player in the domestic car market now. Not as much as GM and Ford but more than the Chrysler group now.

 

I'd guess that a majority of U.S. consumers (non car people) don't really know much about where cars are made and what % is U.S. sourced content. Most probably view the big 3 as GM, Ford and Chrysler.

 

That is correct. If Toyota opened a plant on Mars and built cars there would it be a Martian company?...absolutely not. Doesn't matter where Toyota vehicles are made, it's still a Japanese company through and through because all the engineering, research & develoment, processes & procedures, accountability, management, philosophies, standards, patents, creativity, supervision, training, ideas, funding, etc...are all Japanese or owned by Toyota which is a Japanese company...

 

I think most people don't know or even care if a car company is American, Japanese, Korean, British, German, Italian, etc.

Most of my friends see no difference, and don't even know there IS a Big 3. Many of the people who DO know now might not have known if not for the bailouts in 2009.

I used to have the mindset that I was going to buy only from the Big 3 because they're American. I've come to realize that there is no such thing as a purely American car manufacturer anymore. They are all multinational corporations. I do prefer the Big 3 for sentimental and styling reasons, but as you can see by my presence here....I'm not driving a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy at the moment.

 

Figuring GM, Ford, and Chrysler headquarters are still located in Detroit, many still consider them American companies. Toyota is headquartered in Japan. Just because Volvo is now owned by a Chinese company doors not change the fact that they are still a Swedish make. The big US 3 will remain. Toyota is still Japanese.

 

Can you tell the marketing departments of Toyota{and Honda) this?? Although these companies are Japanese, and im fully aware of there ownership, they don't market themselves as Japanese makes. Years back they touted themselves as all "American" not all Japanese since a number of their models are built in the states. So why cant they be considered "American"? Case in point, T0ked mentioned that Toyota is Japanese because its owned and headquartered in japan so its no doubt to their lineage but goes on to say that Volvo is now owned,operated, and headquartered by a Chinese company but is still Swedish?? Is Chrylser still American since its owned by a French company? Fellas, my point wasnt to see if Toyota is still Japanese or not but to see if they are recognized as a major player in the US domestic market since the ranks have been shaken a lil. I'm asking are they considered Big 3/4 by "association" now not by lineage?

 

Toyota would love to have you believe they are an American car company but no matter what the commercials say, they're still a Japanese company that happens to assemble some of its products in America. Apple is not a Chinese company because every iPhone and iPad is made in China. Heck by this logic most companies would be Chinese since almost everything these days is manufactured in China.

 

Agreed. Toyota has done alot for America. Toyota has a few plants in America, employs many Americans and the products Toyota makes in America are actually sold in America instead of sent back to Japan or outside of the U.S. So yes we can say by association that Toyota is American since it's done alot for America. Oh yeah Toyota pays taxes in America...I'll continue later...

 

Let me give you a inside scoop. Lets just say I know someone who has worked at a MAJOR chrysler plant.

The big mistake is 1.Union. They pay gang bangers and crack heads 17.00 + a hour not mentioning overtime. I swear about 3/4 people were in gangs or did crack.
2. These vary people do not care about the company. They get instructed to install a part one way, and do to laziness or pure stupidness lol they do the opposite.
3. Highly inter racial workplace. No mexicans, just 50/50 blacks and whites. You can see how this may not prove the best way to make cars or team people.
4. They could pay these people 10.00 a hour with no benefits and everything would be fine.

If I ran that place, I would fire about 90% of the people on the factory floor. Drug tests, alcohol tests, every fricking day. I do not trust jamal the latin king crack head installing my Body control module and not grounding the ground wire properly.

 

Outsourcing...the way American companies outsource is far differnent than how Toyota a Japanese company. American companies exploit Chinese workers since there is no minimum wage laws or any employment laws for that matter. American workers use the Chinese to build things for the U.S. whereas Toyota pays a fair wage to U.S. workers and builds products for sale in the U.S. and not building products for the Japanese. So in conclusion I'd prefer how Toyota outsources manufacturing production compared to how American companies outsources manufacturing production in China...

 

Sir there are plenty of people that do or has done drugs that you unknowingly put some trust in and didn't even know it and they performed perfectly. Doctors, police, and Presidents are prime examples. Their afflictions and circumstances in life shouldn't exclude them from working if they are qualified. These people need help,not fired, because if they are not getting money from their jobs, best to believe they will be getting money from you and me at gun point. And why cant Blacks and Whites work together and produce good cars? Anyway, How does this relate to Toyota being considered a top tier automaker in the US?