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General Motors, Ford And Fiat-Chrysler Expected To Build Fewer Vehicles In North America Than Foreign Automakers

Detroit’s Big 3 automakers may not be the major giants they once were. A new report from Bloomberg cites IHS Markit, which claims GM, Ford and FCA will build fewer vehicles in North America than foreign automakers for the first time ever this year.

It’s expected the Big 3 will build 8.6 million cars in North America this year, while all other foreign automakers, plus Tesla, will build 8.7 million vehicles on the continent. The news arrives as Ford and GM, specifically, begin to build more cars in China. GM builds many of its vehicles locally in China with its SAIC-Wuling joint venture, and the Buick Envision is imported from China to North America. Ford announced the next-generation Focus compact car will be imported from China as well.

The report says the gap will continue to grow, too. By 2024, Detroit automakers will reportedly build 8.1 million cars in North America, while other automakers will build 9.8 million vehicles in the region. Keep in mind, North America represents Canada, the United States and Mexico.

However, many foreign automakers have announced major investments in the United States. Volvo, Volkswagen, Toyota and Honda all have plans for major U.S. manufacturing expansions. With this in mind, projections show American manufacturing jobs will rise in the coming years. But, GM, Ford and FCA may not be the employers.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Kudos to the non unionized American auto workers in Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, y’all put together some of the best machines money can buy.

    Is there any word on how many more billions GM would need from our government to start investing in American workers again?

    Reply
    1. Those workers need to organize and each and every worker has to support them.

      An injury to one is an injury to all.

      Reply
    2. Lexus builds more cars in the U.S. than Buick. Watch as more and more GM vehicles are farmed out to China. This cuts costs which is a main compensation point for Barra, Stevens, Ammann and Reuss. Total compensation for these 4 current C-suite executives (taken from page 62 of the 2017 GM Proxy Statement) for the last three years was only $146,536,672, not including 2017 compensation. As you can see, GM does give Americans good jobs.

      Reply
    3. They must be out of money, first Pontiac, Oldsmoblie & Hummer then European operations (gone from 3 brands in Europe to 0). Bet this explains why no big saloon for Buick, Cadillac & a European replacement for Omega & Senator

      Reply
      1. Saloon? Hey no drinking and driving here!

        Reply
        1. Saloon is sedan or sedan saloon whatever way you look at it, Omega was a large saloon/estate (station wagon) with Senator being in US terms full size saloon, we also had a coupe version called Monza or Royale dependent on market. These cars were well respected & competed well with Mercs, BM’s of the time, they are very much missed today.

          Reply
    4. This comment is extremely uninformed and u

      Reply
  2. Oh, do you still have a lovefest for Mary Barra as she ships American jobs to non-unionized countries with cheap labor, Sean?

    No wonder you lost to Trump…

    Reply
  3. That’s life.

    One is born, grows up, grows old, and dies. And all along new living beings begin and end the same cycle. There is no way to stop this except by eradicating life completely. But then new life will emerge in another galaxy.

    Life never ends.

    Reply
  4. GM Ford and Chrysler still havent learnt there lesson. When they start producing quality cars people will buy them but as long as they are producing cars that mechanically speaking arent superior to the competition then they will see their market share shrink year after year until it becomes nothing.

    Making the car pretty nice design alone isnt enough people want the quality too because we dont want to be heading to the mechanic shop the minute the warranty expires. Once they learn this lesson they will have a market to produce cars for

    Reply
    1. My GM NA cars never have. I hate when people brag, but I drive my GM cars until they’re 8 years old and then get another. I sell before anything needs repaired.

      Reply
  5. who ever thinks these foreign car are that much better –why do all of the perform warranty repairs at all their dealerships .. there are too many people walking around with their heads where the sun doesn’t shine one year Pontiac vibe & Toyota matrix was the same car (both junk) but which one sold better -the foreign name ???).. working for a gm dealer in service -which was close to a foreign dealership –many people would stupidly pull into our dealership with their list of complaints — water leaks-oil leaks- shorts using oil -paint fading engine noise – do you want me to go on.. yea we made some junk but so do they . people are brainwashed that is what is ruining AMERICAN companies. today models will matchup with their counterpart . as far as our three manufactures building more models outside of the USA is a damn disgrace –I don’t care if you say the industry has gone global – AMERICA workers come first . DON”T TAKE A KNEE stand up for AMERICAN workers

    Reply
    1. They can bootleg cars from China if they want. soon as Americans find out they will not buy them, then the brass will sit around and wonder what went wrong!
      We made so much money using Slave labor in China.

      Reply
    2. You are either for “American” companies of for US-American workers — the interest of those two are in contradiction, while on the other hand, US workers have common interests with all workers in all other countries, but not with their bosses.

      US workers need strong unions, who don’t give in to the bosses.

      Reply
  6. My coworker has a Toyota Tundra. I asked him how he likes it. He replied “it breaks down just like all the rest”.

    Reply
    1. Still purchased it in the first place though

      Reply
      1. Not that he is overly pleased with it, hindsight being 20/20.

        Reply
  7. What does that tell you?
    Tells me that management has no intention of strengthening the American Market, they are abandoning us.
    Why else would they hire a foreigner to help destroy Cadillac?

    Reply
    1. “Why else would they hire a foreigner to help destroy Cadillac?”

      Because all the Americans they previously hired for the job adhered to the ideals of “making it dirt cheap and sell the pants off of it!” without thinking about product presentation or product quality, thereby causing Cadillac to slide for 50 years into insignificance in the public’s eye.

      But then again, you actually typed ” hire a foreigner to help destroy Cadillac” without even a hint of sarcasm, which I can only assume you really think GM purposely wants to run Cadillac into the ground rather than simply close it like they did for Pontiac, Saturn, and Olds.

      Reply
  8. That’s why GM sold off it’s European arm, because Americans buy foreign cars usually japanise & Korean & they needed the money from the sale to fund they’re operation back home in order to be around in the next decade or two, yes they can blame brexit & I do think it has a little to do with it but this is the bigger issue & the one I believe is why they sold up.

    Reply
  9. This has been coming for decades & they’ve ignored the signs, you need to be dominant in your own market before expansion with the exception of trucks Americans don’t buy American cars. Every other nation buys their own English buy English, German buy German, French buy French, Italian buy Italian etc etc hence why the European market was so tough to crack for Chevy.

    Reply
  10. I’m sorry, but this is a junk article. GM sells 3.5 million cars in China a year, why would they build them in N.A.? And Toyoda, Honda, and the rest of the screwdriver foreign companies here won’t be building any new plants here; it’s all going to be in Mexico. Toyota is currently building one for the Corolla, Honda just ramped one up building Fits and HRV, and MB is partnering with Nissan to build a replacement for the FWD car.

    Those aren’t American jobs. Go hold hands with Hillary and the NFL players if you’re going to preach hate against Americans.

    Reply
    1. From “USA Today” of August 17, 2017.

      “One of the biggest potential job-creating bonanzas in the country, a giant new auto plant proposed by Toyota and Mazda, began in secret with a mysterious code name.

      Now it has become a full-blown race among states to try to reel in the $1.6-billion project that will create 4,000 good-paying direct jobs and thousands of other indirect jobs.

      The two Japanese automakers recently issued a blind request for proposals to states in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and South, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly because the process was confidential.”

      Search for title “With code name, how Toyota-Mazda set off secret race for 4,000-job plant” or toyota-mazda-auto-plant on usatoday.com

      But mayby this does not fit Joe G.’s quest for plants producing screwdrivers, since it is intended to build automobiles.

      Besides, the only force to protect US workers is a) to build strong unions, which are not fooled to make concessions to the bosses, and b) reach out to workers in countries all around the world.

      Reply

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