Quote:
Originally Posted by tundrahq
I agree with everything that you said, but I believe that the Japanese do have some critical advantages over the domestics still. Their favorable exchange rate helps with vehicle costs (just because they're built in the USA doesn't mean that a lot of the parts aren't paid for with yen). The biggest benefit the Japanese companies have over the domestics is health-care costs. Japan's government provides health care and that saves Toyota about $1500 a year per Japanese worker when compared to a comparable US worker.
Please understand, I'm not attacking Toyota here. The domestics created this mess all by themselves. But to say that Toyota has made gains in spite of tariffs, etc., seems to be whitewashing a bit. At least as far as I know...
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I'm not sure I follow. I assume you DO realize that Toyota operates eight or nine manufacturing plants in America already. The new plant in Mississippi (for Highlanders) will bring that number to nine. I don't get how a Japanese health care system is impacting these American workers.