Information Gleaned from Domestic Content Labels
in [Toyota]
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From: Built_Well on 15 Mar 2007 18:54 Jeff, that's a *great* article in USA Today. Thanks very much for providing a link. Yeah, there's no doubt that unique VIN numbers are running out, but you know they'll run out even faster if there's a domestic parts content Rule tied to the use of 1, 4, and 5 for American-assembled cars. Why don't we ever see a Toyota VIN starting "1T" ? The only VINs I've ever seen for U.S.-assembled Toyotas either begin with 4T or 5T . 2T and 3T of course refer to cars assembled in Canada and Mexico. Searching the online inventory at PenskeToyota.com (the largest Toyota dealership in the U.S.) doesn't show a single 1T anywhere. Of course a lot of Corollas begin with a "1" but their second character is an "N," not a "T" ("N" for the joint GM-Toyota plant in California: NUMMI ). Where oh where is the 1T... That's one reason why I'm not discounting Mike. -- Built_Well scratching his head
From: Matt Macchiarolo on 16 Mar 2007 06:28 Tell that to Honda, who had to buy back our Odessey a few years ago under my state's lemon law.... "Hachiroku ????" <Trueno(a)ae86.gts> wrote in message news:3SgKh.19787$d8.2615(a)trndny07... > > Doesn't bother me a whole lot. Hate to say it, but the Japanese made cars > are made better... > > >
From: SMS on 16 Mar 2007 07:46 C. E. White wrote: > I am curious about the domestic content of various cars, so I stopped by a > couple of car dealers last night to check out the domestic content labels. > In 35 years of car buying, I never recall seeing one. But, sure enough, they > were on most cars and light trucks on the lots. I wonder where they go when > I test drive a car? Apparently they are not required on heavy duty trucks > (like an F250). The biggest problem with the labels is that labor is not included as part of the content. A Ford built in Mexico can have higher domestic content than a Toyota built in California, but the latter is built in a UAW plant providing living wages to workers. This suits the purposes of the U.S. based automakers who are desperately trying to move as much assembly outside the U.S. as possible, while touting "domestic content." A vehicle that truly has high domestic content, and is assembled in the U.S., has no advantage (in terms of the label) over a vehicle that is manufactured elsewhere in North America with low domestic content. People pay no attention to the label anymore. OTOH, the Japanese manufacturers have done a good job of publicizing the fact that most of their mass marked vehicles are manufactured in the U.S.. The best way to support the U.S. economy is to buy vehicles made in the U.S.. You'll never figure out the true domestic content, so just go by where the factory is. This is especially useful for the Japanese companies, since they are sourcing as many components from the U.S. as possible because they want the component manufacturing close to the factory, and because they want to be shielded from currency issues caused by the massive U.S. deficits, courtesy of George Bush.
From: Ed White on 16 Mar 2007 08:39 On Mar 15, 6:29 pm, "Built_Well" <Built_Well_Toy...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > C. E. White wrote: > > Vehicles built at Toyota's first plant in the country, NUMMI in > > California all get a "1." > > ======== > > Ed, you're mistaken there, buddy. Bonehenge owns a 2005 Tacoma > made at NUMMI in Fremont. The VIN of his Tacoma starts > with a 5--not a 1. > > Not everything coming out of NUMMI begins with a 1 like you say. You are correct, all the Toyota Trucks assembled in the US get a "5". The trucks assembled at NUMMI are "5T" Cars assembled at Nummi aren "1N" It seems that Toyota uses the "5" in the first location to indicated the vehicle is a truck (just like Lincoln does). Ed
From: Ed White on 16 Mar 2007 08:44
On Mar 15, 6:54 pm, "Built_Well" <Built_Well_Toy...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Jeff, that's a *great* article in USA Today. Thanks very much for > providing a link. > > Yeah, there's no doubt that unique VIN numbers are running out, but > you know they'll run out even faster if there's a domestic parts > content > Rule tied to the use of 1, 4, and 5 for American-assembled cars. > > Why don't we ever see a Toyota VIN starting "1T" ? The only VINs > I've > ever seen for U.S.-assembled Toyotas either begin with 4T or 5T . > > 2T and 3T of course refer to cars assembled in Canada and Mexico. > > Searching the online inventory at PenskeToyota.com (the largest > Toyota dealership in the U.S.) doesn't show a single 1T anywhere. > > Of course a lot of Corollas begin with a "1" but their second > character > is an "N," not a "T" ("N" for the joint GM-Toyota plant in > California: NUMMI ). > > Where oh where is the 1T... > > That's one reason why I'm not discounting Mike. > > -- Built_Well scratching his head Where are the "1" Lincoln or Mercury Trucks and SUVs? SAE assigns the WMIs. I assume Toyota has their own reasons for using them like they do. Just like Ford uses a "5" as the first digit for all Lincoln "trucks" or a "4" for Mercury "trucks." Ed |