The Auto Market and You 2

The Auto Market &YOU
Made in America...What does a buyer really get?
By: Charlie Grooters, Grand Rapids, MI.
Last week’s article, “The Auto Market & You,” on the front page of the Automotive section,
created quite a stir at Harold Zeigler in Grandville. According to Brad Dodge, General Sales Manager, “It was amazing to see how hungry people are for good news that they can validate
and that truly benefits them. The response to last week’s article generated more emails, phone
calls and showroom traffic in one day than we have seen for months.” Dodge continued, “Last
Monday, we sold 19 cars, had 48 logged phone calls, 40 logged visitors in the showroom, and
numerous emails about the article and the great buys going on in the market today. People may
be cautious today, but obviously will respond to a deal when they can easily understand it and know that it is real.” Maybe our government should take a page out of Harold Zeigler’s playbook – lay out the deal so everyone can easily understand it and then give them the option to decide
if that is the best deal for them and if now is the right time to act. This week, we wanted to explore what “made in America” really means for today’s consumers.
Scott Comar, General Manager at Zeigler, said that sometimes our kids’ questions are right on.
“My 12-year-old son and I were watching TV and the reporter was talking about jobs being lost
when companies do business overseas. He asked me why a company in the U.S. would make
things in another country so they could sell them here. I thought it was a very good question and
tried to explain it simply: If he made pencils in another country for 25 cents, and I made pencils
in the U.S. for 35 cents, and then another U.S. company sold them for 50 cents, that company
would make more money buying the pencils from him, the foreign company.” He understood and
surprised me with his next question: “But who is that company going to sell them to in the U.S. if
the people here aren’t working because they can be made cheaper somewhere else?”
According to Bob Seitz, New Car Manager, at Harold Zeigler, “We received a copy of the
140-page report that Chrysler prepared for the government and in it were some pretty great
points that most Americans probably don’t know.Chrysler is American owned and operated: 73%
of total sales are within the U.S., 61% of vehicle production is in the U.S., 74% of total employees
are in the U.S., 62% of all dealers are in the U.S., 100% of the profits STAY in the U.S.” In a time when we are experiencing some of the highest unemployment in history, isn’t this the kind of
company we need to support? We need companies to employ our citizens, so our citizens can afford to spend money on our products, which generate tax revenue for our states, which
in turn greatly contributes to the state budget, which then gets put back into the state and the local economy so the cycle can continue. Does “Made in America” mean quality? According
to Clark Lange, Harold Zeigler Service Manager,“in 2008 Chrysler had its lowest warranty
claim rate in history, with a 30% improvement over the prior year. Chrysler had fewer recalls in
2008 than any other manufacturer as measured by NHTSA.” Facts from the Chrysler written proposal to the federal government confirm that and more: In the past 7 years, Chrysler has improved its manufacturing productivity by 32% to equalling Toyota, and since August of 2007, Chrysler has invested $500 million into product enhancements, engineering improvements, interior quality, fit and finish and driving performance. If you listen to the government, American car companies don’t even build the cars that people want?According to
Scott Hayes, from Chrysler Motors, all you have to dois look at a few of our awards to
answer that question. “The all-new Dodge Ram has picked up 12 key awards since its
introduction and was just recently chosen by Car and Driver as the best full-size pick-up
in a head-to-head comparison with the competition. The Chrysler 300C is the most awarded car in automotive history, the Chrysler mini-van is celebrating its 25th anniversary and just won
its eighth consecutive R.L. Polk Owner Loyalty Award and 12th win in MotorWeek’s Drivers’
Choice Awards. The Dodge Challenger won seven awards this year, Kelly Blue Book honored
the Jeep Wrangler with the highest resale value among all SUVs and Jeep Grand Cherokee
owners are the most loyal in the mid-size SUV category, earning the R.L. Polk Loyalty award.
How about fuel efficiency and safety? For the 2009 model year, 73% of Chrysler’s vehicles
get improved fuel economy compared to 2008 models and 88% achieved five-star frontal crash
ratings with 86% achieving the highest rating for side-impact. Why do all the double digit sales declines in year-over-year sales have Chrysler losing the most sales? Comar clarifies, “There is always more to the story than the headlines provide; Chrysler retail sales are down like everyone else, but what you don’t hear is the intentional reduction of fleet sales. Generally the number you hear reported on TV includes all sales, retail and fleet, and as Chrysler has reduced the fleet sales, the decline sounds much worse than it is.” Comar adds, “Unfortunately, the media tells us what our opinion should be, even when the facts are incomplete. Our recommendation is if you are in the market for a car, get out and really compare, then form your own opinion. Most
people don’t remember when Toyota first came to the U.S., they would rust out. They eventually corrected that problem and made a good car. Well, today’s American-made cars are far better than in the past, too.” The final thought from this writer, “I love the
team at Harold Zeigler in Grandville and would like to see everyone buy their car from them.
But, for the few that might not, I still urge them to get out and look at any American-made car,
not just ones assembled here, and compare to whatever you perceive as the highest quality car
on the market. Chances are you will find no difference in quality, better warranties, and far better savings on an American-made car, especially a Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep from Harold Zeigler in Grandville.