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FIAT just announced that it's buying full control of Chrysler for 3.65 billion dollars. With the Italian takeover, I suppose this leaves Ford, GM, and Tesla as the last major American car manufacturers left.

Instant credibility for the US of motherfuggin A!

Next piece of chit Chrysler that rolls by, you can just mutter "friggin' degos".

93henfan wrote:Instant credibility for the US of motherfuggin A!

Next piece of chit Chrysler that rolls by, you can just mutter "friggin' degos".

I hate those bastards.

I hear FIAT has a Doo WOP group perform at all of its functions.

Chrysler hasnt been an American auto maker for quite some time.

∞∞∞ wrote:FIAT just announced that it's buying full control of Chrysler for 3.65 billion dollars. With the Italian takeover, I suppose this leaves Ford, GM, and Tesla as the last major American car manufacturers left.

While car salesman across the country fight against Tesla.

Heh, Chrysler. Now thats an automaker I never consider purchasing a car from.

Toyota is as much an American car maker as anybody else, cept maybe Ford.

Fiat just wiped poop all over what ever name it had built up by adding junk dealer Chrysler.

Actually I had gotten the impression that Chrysler quality had improved a little bit under the Daimler Benz leadership... not by a lot, but they did seem to be a little more daring, trying to bring back some of those retros like the Charger.

At the end of the day, had they been on top of their game like Ford they never would have been bought in the first place.

Re: the Toyota comment... I can't figure them out. They build a ton of cars here in the US, but then they build all the 4Runners in Japan and boat them over to US and Canada (they are only built for the US/Canada market). It doesnt make any sense.

CID1990 wrote: Re: the Toyota comment... I can't figure them out. They build a ton of cars here in the US, but then they build all the 4Runners in Japan and boat them over to US and Canada (they are only built for the US/Canada market). It doesnt make any sense.

From '84 to '09, the same vehicle was sold worldwide as the Hilux Surf, so it made sense up until '09; now, not so much.

Same sort of deal with the FJ Cruiser. It has some serious chassis/parts commonality with the Land Cruiser Prado sold worldwide, so Japanese assembly makes sense.

Heck, do you realize how many European-only cars are made here? I remember when GM used to produce Opels in Delaware for export just a few years ago, and Jeep has made diesel Wranglers in Toledo for decades that enthusiasts in the US would kill for.

Opel.

CAA Flagship wrote:Opel.

I thought you were a GM guy. I wouldn't laugh too much, as much of the Buick line is simply rebadged Opels. The Germans did all the design and engineering.

I drove a compact Mercedes in Germany, brand new with heated seats and all that jazz - approx. $20k. Can you buy that over here? Nope.

This pretty much proves that Chrysler never should have been bailed out. Taxpayers ate 1.3+ billion, and now its owned by the Italians.

BDKJMU wrote:This pretty much proves that Chrysler never should have been bailed out. Taxpayers ate 1.3+ billion, and now its owned by the Italians.

Pretty much this. Fiat? Fiat? Do they even make more than one model?

93henfan wrote:

CAA Flagship wrote:Opel.

I thought you were a GM guy. I wouldn't laugh too much, as much of the Buick line is simply rebadged Opels. The Germans did all the design and engineering.

Opel has not been on my mind for decades. My recollection of Opel is this:



I would not say that I am necessarily a GM guy though. I have owned:
Toyota
Nissan
Saab
Honda
Ford
GMC
Toyota
GMC
And currently married to a Jap.

Car industry has bounced back well in 2013, another sign of the flourishing economy.

89Hen wrote:

BDKJMU wrote:This pretty much proves that Chrysler never should have been bailed out. Taxpayers ate 1.3+ billion, and now its owned by the Italians.

Pretty much this. Fiat? Fiat? Do they even make more than one model?

There are 15 vehicles on their website. 5 versions of the 500, 3 versions of the Panda and the rest.

Fix It Again, Tony makes some pretty good commercials.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwGrUMlagk0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAmE7n05vo8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SipBNWDPIzM[/youtube]

93henfan wrote:

CID1990 wrote: Re: the Toyota comment... I can't figure them out. They build a ton of cars here in the US, but then they build all the 4Runners in Japan and boat them over to US and Canada (they are only built for the US/Canada market). It doesnt make any sense.

From '84 to '09, the same vehicle was sold worldwide as the Hilux Surf, so it made sense up until '09; now, not so much.

Same sort of deal with the FJ Cruiser. It has some serious chassis/parts commonality with the Land Cruiser Prado sold worldwide, so Japanese assembly makes sense.

Heck, do you realize how many European-only cars are made here? I remember when GM used to produce Opels in Delaware for export just a few years ago, and Jeep has made diesel Wranglers in Toledo for decades that enthusiasts in the US would kill for.

The Hilux might have some common components with the 4Runner, but they are very different vehicles to the point that I would not classify them as clones in the way Ford and Mazda did in the 80s and 90s. One of my expat buddies in Vietnam had the Hilux, and I had my 4Runner, they were both 2009 models and very different.

I see a lot if Prados down here but it did not occur to me the relation with the FJ.

That said, the two vehicles are made in their own plant for foreign markets. With Toyota, given that they already have plants in the US, I dont see why they don't just make them in the US. Then again, they own their own car carrier ships so maybe it's cheaper than opening a new plant, who knows?

CID1990 wrote:

93henfan wrote:
From '84 to '09, the same vehicle was sold worldwide as the Hilux Surf, so it made sense up until '09; now, not so much.

Same sort of deal with the FJ Cruiser. It has some serious chassis/parts commonality with the Land Cruiser Prado sold worldwide, so Japanese assembly makes sense.

Heck, do you realize how many European-only cars are made here? I remember when GM used to produce Opels in Delaware for export just a few years ago, and Jeep has made diesel Wranglers in Toledo for decades that enthusiasts in the US would kill for.

The Hilux might have some common components with the 4Runner, but they are very different vehicles to the point that I would not classify them as clones in the way Ford and Mazda did in the 80s and 90s. One of my expat buddies in Vietnam had the Hilux, and I had my 4Runner, they were both 2009 models and very different.

I see a lot if Prados down here but it did not occur to me the relation with the FJ.

That said, the two vehicles are made in their own plant for foreign markets. With Toyota, given that they already have plants in the US, I dont see why they don't just make them in the US. Then again, they own their own car carrier ships so maybe it's cheaper than opening a new plant, who knows?

I referenced the Hilux Surf, not the Hilux. The Surf and 4Runner were the same vehicle, at least the first three generations. Perhaps they diverged during the fourth generation (02-09). Probably lots of diesels in the Surf because the rest of the world doesn't have EPA/CARB to fight.