It's a free market and the buyer has every right to decide which car they think is the best product for their hard earned money.
Calling Toyotas 'rice ready' is repugnant, and saying they're not 'road ready' is just stupid because everyone knows that's wrong.
This guy would drive me to look at anything other than his dealership.

This guy has the "free market" backwards. He needs to provide a good or service the people want, and then people will come and buy it. If a Toyota truck is better, then he needs to do something to change the quality of his product.

"do you think Americans have an obligation to buy American brands, or do the car companies have an obligation to produce something Americans want to buy?"

First question: No - it smacks of communism to suggest that citizens are obligated to buy goods produced in their country. If a person chooses to do so, fine.

Second question: If they want to stay in business, yes. Oh wait - in this brave new world of bailouts, didn't Congress make that a non-requirement to staying in the marketplace?

"Rice ready" how ignorant is that.

If Ford would made vehicles that were economical and dependable people would buy Ford and not Toyota. The buyer is not to be blamed for picking the better product, if Ford wants to thrive then they have to get with the market. Consumer's are clearly not looking for what Ford is offering.

Ford might want to look into addressing this dealer since he is representing them to some degree.

ugh......the foreign car argument again! Most of them are made here, most of them are better cars by independent standards, and most of them retain their value over time.

Free market - you want more people to buy the cars you build, make them the cars they want and stop whining. I can't run my car on "American Pride" if the engine breaks down, while it might be a nice sentiment, it isn't very smart.

I agree with pretty much everything said above. And zeze makes the great point that many of the foreign cars are made right here in the US... unlike many of the American cars made in, say, Mexico.

This guy is insulting!

Heh. Rice ready. Doesn't he know us Asians usually just travel by rickshaw?

I have a Toyota Corolla (used of course) and I love that car. It's a good reliable car.

At one time, yes, foreign cars were made in other countries but now many of them are made here. Even if I did want to buy a classic American brand, I certainly wouldn't be running out to buy a car from someone this ignorant and rude.

Here's an interesting article about this in Time:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004876-1,00.html

This argument bothers me to no end. Plenty of "foreign" car manufacturers actually manufacture their cars in NA (Toyota, for example, has a massive plant in my community).

I will continue to buy Toyota until I see significant changes in quality to any of the North American brands... actually, I take that back. You couldn't pay me to buy a vehicle from any of the big three. They make terrible vehicles and have terrible customer service.

Oh and this makes me laugh... I've those "buy North American" bumper stickers on various foreign cars including VWs... now I'm not sure if these people are trying to be ironic or if they're just stupid.

Question - how many people are actually aware that Chrysler was previously owned by a German company and that this company still holds a large percentage of shares in the company presently?

"rice ready"? Yum. Do they come with chopsticks?

Lildoro, I hadn't thought of that but you're right - it's getting impossible to be sure if you're buying American these days. And if a foreign company buys an American company and keeps it afloat, should we bite the foreign hand?

It runs on Sakai...how GREEN is that!

telewyo-

Thanks for posting the article - it was very informative.

I did notice that the byline was 2003. I am completely boggled by the fact that not much has changed in 5 years, yet according to the Big 3 - they are only experiencing a temporary cash flow issue due to the credit crisis.

After reading about the difference in plant set-ups, supplier relationships and whatnot between American and "transplant" factories, I am even less likely to believe that the Big 3 will somehow become profitable in the coming fiscal year even if they do manage to jilt the UAW.

I kept trying to say what I really thought of this man, and it would all get flagged.

Seriously, in one fell swoop he managed to be grossly ignorant of free market policy AND heinously offensive to entire swathes of the American population all in one go.

Gosh - if only his cars were half as efficient.....

And no. Americans - or anyone else for that matter - have every right to buy the automobile THEY FEEL is most appropriate for their own use.

As someone said above, the so-called "foreign" cars are not so foreign. The last Japan-crafted Honda I personally owned was a 1988 Prelude. (I was able to confirm this by checking a panel in the door back then...and damn, btw, what a GREAT car that was, 185K miles on it when I finally sold it, and it was STILL going strong and looking good.)

According to what the dealer told me, not long after 1988 most Honda's driven in the USA, are manufactured in the USA. The PARTS may come from overseas but Americans still work for, and are paid for, Honda companies within the states.

I'm sure they don't feel "unAmerican" feeding their families and taking pride in the product they help to build.

On the other hand, I fail to see how one should feel "pro" American for blindly supporting companies who repeatedly made inferior products that were more expensive to run for the consumer, not as good for the planet, more readily in need of repairs and less likely to hold value once driven off the parking lot.

It's so hard to buy American these days. I also agree with everyone else who has said that we should get the choice to buy what we feel is appropriate for ourselves and our families. If I want to buy a Toyota, then I'll buy a Toyota.

Toyota does build a good bit here in the States. Does that still make them foreign cars if they are built here? Hmmm..

I buy foreign cars because if I'm going to be putting out a good chunk of change I want something that will actually work. I had a Civic that lasted over 300,000 miles and got 37 miles to the gallon in the city to boot. If Ford wants to make cars that hold up well and get good mileage I would certainly factor them in to my car buying decision. I've known very few people who have been as happy with their Fords as I have been with my Hondas, except my uncle who is obsessed with Mustangs.

The American auto manufactures sat around all those years doing nothing but make very poor quality cars and now it's coming back to bite them. Boo hoo hoo, I have NO sympathy.

I noticed that article was from 2003 too...it just shows you how long the Big 3 have not been doing enough to prevent the current crisis even though they were warned (just like Freddie and Fannie). If it wasn't for all the jobs that would be lost and the hit the already bad economy would take, I would say "they made their beds, why should we bail them out".

More power to him if this gets people to buy his cars.

Toyota makes good, reliable cars. Ford does not.

If Ford will start making reliable cars, then I may start considering Ford automobiles.

Not to mention, Toyota may be Japanese-owned, but the factories here in the US give people US citizens jobs.

*give US citizens jobs

"More power to him if this gets people to buy his cars."

...I'd much rather American car dealers and manufacturers promote their cars based on quality and not racist remarks and misplaced pride.

Would you say the same of a supermarket in a white community that advertises with the message that people should be ashamed of supporting supermarkets owned by immigrants (assuming it gets people to shop at that supermarket).

I'll start buying American-made cars when they stop breaking down.

Japanese car companies pay their taxes in Japan. And if we're going to continue to socialize industries in the United States, we're going to need some tax revenue. The free market allows you to choose not only based on how cute the car is, but which nation you want to send your money to. That's the beauty of choice.

Is it racist to say something nonsensical about Japanese cars and rice? I think that's a little extreme.

Further, this dealer knows people buy things on emotion, and he knows advertising increases sales. So with an emotional advertisement, which becomes a nationwide campaign, he will be getting all the publicity he wants. That's the market.

It's entirely too simple to say that the market considers only: good car = more buyers.

I just don't appreciate his half-hearted attempt at racism. I mean, c'mon, if you're gonna commit to something, go all out.

Honda = kimchi-ready

Volkswagen = shnitzel-ready

Ferrari = pasta-ready

Don't just single out Toyotas.

Also, I do kind of love that on some level, this is leaning towards the whole "OMG YOU ARE NOT PATRIOTIC OR A REAL AMERICAN IF YOU OWN A FOREIGN CAR!!!" mentality. My bf's dad has 2 Toyotas and is insistent on everyone in his family buying Toyotas, and he's pretty much one of the most patriotic men I've ever met. Well if you count going to West Point and being in the military as "patriotic", that is.

"I'll start buying American-made cars when they stop breaking down."

I wonder if he feels the same about those of us who drive Acura's. What a jacka**!

I agree with UnDave. But ultimately this guy is getting just what he really wants - lots of free publicity!

I think the underlying sentiment was racist, yes even if the comment was not exactly - it was more weird than anything.

And I don't agree that it should be a good thing for people to exploit emotional reactions based on these sentiments. You want to use emotion, sure, use it - but I would not say "more power to him" when the emotion he is exploiting is based on being anti-Japanese. He could have focused on American economy like you just did and explained that when you buy a Toyota you pay taxes in Japan - total economics, no rice necessary. Had he said that, my only other issue would be on this notion that good cars don't mean more buyers, if the foreign dealers can get people to buy their cars based on advertising how superior their cars are, why should the American dealers be commended for resorting to cheap ploys of emotional impulsiveness? It's like the whole scarring people into buying canned goods before y2k was also based on emotion, it is wrong, whether it makes money or not. If other people can do it based on product, then so should American car dealers.

Great post, zeze.

It's not so much anti-Japanese sentiment as pro-American sentiment, which is what American manufacturers have focused on for a very long time. Nothing new. I'm not saying it's a wonderful thing, but I do think there is some merit to supporting one's local economy. The problem with having commercials that say that their cars are more reliable is that there appears to be a consensus on this board, and in our general culture, that anything that comes from Japan is a higher quality car.

Nope - my car is German, and I believe it is a higher quality than Honda.

Haha, well my cars are all American, and I know they're of a higher quality than a Honda, especially the cars I've put together.

Well la-dee da!

Where's Beavis to weigh in on this business?

i know our economy sucks, but Americans don't have an obligation to by American cars, they have an obligation to purchase the best car to suit their needs. whether the car happens to be American or Asian or European is besides the point.

Wow, that would make me NEVER want to buy even a lemonade from him. I would like to buy American made, produced and distributed items but I also want them to be the best around. I'm not going to buy an inferior product just because it was made in the USA. That's insanity. Detroit has been out of touch for so long-- it is sad that it has taken near bankruptcy for them to catch on that what they are selling no one wants to buy. Hopefully they will receive good counsel and be able to conquer this.

Toby: You're concerned about American labor and manufacturing.
Congressman: Yeah.
Toby: What kind of car do you drive?
Congressman: Toyota.
Toby: Then shut up.
....
Josh: What would you have done if he drove a Ford?
Toby: Found some other way to insult him.

What is that True?

I insult people that drive Fords almost everyday.

I drive a Jeep, and a doge before that, but I did it b/c I get sick of cars quickly and theirs are the cheapest lease options - I don't worry about reliability or value over time since they get it back in 2yrs and have to deal with it.

Honestly, I think they need a new angle, the "buy American" has obviously not helped no matter how many years they have used it - people wont put money into CEO's private jets just to seem patriotic when their cars aren't as great other cars. I'm of the opinion that bad marketing killed the auto-industry more than anything. Most cars (unless you build them yourself) are not all that different these days (from class to class) by letting the foreign cars get away with being the "superior cars by default" for so long and only trying to guilt people into buying American we have shot ourselves in the foot.

Sponsor more studies in areas where your cars are better, tweak your cars to best theirs on the car-rating systems out there and make it a HUGE deal when you beat them. Expose them for being just like American cars and using the same parts but charging more and make people feel like they are smarter, more clever for buying your car - not alienate them for being un-American if they don't blindly follow you.

Poor (dumb) Ford and the other two companies. Dug their own graves, with a lot of help from the UAW.

I agree zeze. Those advertising campaigns that you just mentioned, while expensive, would likely be very effective. I think that this advertisement particular gets a lot of bang for the buck.

We are starting to see American cars winning favor in publications which seem to be biased against them, such as Car and Driver and Road and Track. However, publications like Consumer Reports still constantly rail against American cars based on polling from their readership, which is highly misleading.

One of the biggest reasons that I buy American cars is because I buy used and expect to repair things. Parts are much cheaper for American cars, for whatever reason, so the cars are much easier for me to maintain. Also, the simplicity of engine compartment design in many American cars makes it easier for me to track down problems and make repairs. But, I suppose car companies don't want to insinuate that repairs will be needed.

It's from West Wing. One of my favorite scenes, but it's the intonation that really makes it.

[Honda = kimchi-ready]

But, but...kimchi is Korean. =( Honda is Japanese. Lol.

[Nope - my car is German, and I believe it is a higher quality than Honda. Eye-wink]

This is true. =)

And, wow, I'm Japanese and American, which car should I buy if I were only to base it on national pride? Give me a break. I'll take a German car any day.

This is really low. I would never purchase anything from a company that does something like this in order to gain customers. Really sad. I think the idea of purchasing things made in America is ideal. However, that doesn't mean it's always realistic for some people. The way the economy is people are looking for the most for their money. I think the Ford dealership should have focused more on what they offer instead of trashing their competitors.

Ahem... MAKE BETTER CARS.

Then I'll buy one.

Organic I agree that it's mostly pro-American, but "rice ready" was just unnecessary and takes it into the level of offensive.

Personally, I will always try to buy the best quality car that I can afford. I like supporting the local economy too, but a car is a HUGE purchase. It's not like buying a "Made in the USA" t-shirt.

All of my family drives American made vehicles.. and all of my vehicles have been American made until I traded in my Ford Expedition for a Toyota Prius..

If and when Ford steps up and offers me an option with as high a quality, all the bells and whistles (Bose stereo system, navigation system, etc), as good a warranty, and the 42 to 53 MPG I am currently enjoying for under $25,000.. I will be happy to purchase another vehicle from Ford.

Meike! Shows how much I know about cars (don't own one ). Thanks for the correction!

I also think it is possible to be "pro-American" without being "anti-Japanese" or whatever. People just have to, I don't know, think of creative ways to do so.