^^^ hopefully Obama and the US congress won't enact a new 'gas guzzler tax' on your highly politically incorrect Mustang on top of the $1000 gas guzzler tax you already had to pay !
Actually, my little brother's Ford franchise in New York just took delivery of the one and only one Shelby Cobra GT500 Mustang they could manage to get 'allocated' to their dealership this year. The number of these vehicles being produced is being very tightly controlled in order to avoid disrupting Ford's compliance with CAFE standards. This is 'good news' if you already own one or can somehow get your hands on one.
I can't wait to come back to the states for a visit soon just to test drive this 540hp monster. However, CAFE standards ultimately limits Ford's profitability since the projected potential Mustang GT500 buyer demand FAR exceeds the number of actual vehicles Ford is allowed to produce and still remain in compliance with CAFE average gas mileage mandates.
In order to try and 'open the door' for increased sales of vehicles like the new Mustang that has long lines of potential buyers, Ford has been forced to begin importing extremely high mileage 'shitbox' subcompact cars to offset the Mustang's negative effect on CAFE average gas mileage restrictions. Ford's chosen course of action, unlike GM's, does NOT involve China. Instead, Ford has invested in a subcompact production plant in Brazil ... where the 'slave wages' aren't quite as low and the environmental restrictions aren't totally absent, but which are still vastly lower than those in effect in the USA.
(snip)"Ford has chosen its Sao Bernardo Assembly plant in the state of Sao Paulo as the source for the critical small car, according to officials at Ford and two automotive consulting firms – Global Insight and CSM Worldwide – that were briefed on the issue. The vehicle is set to launch in the 2009 to 2010 timeframe, said the officials who requested anonymity because Ford hasn't publicly disclosed the plan.
The subcompact sedan to be built in Brazil is one of the future products seen as essential to the struggling automaker's turnaround hopes. Ford is one of the only major automakers not selling a subcompact car in the United States. The segment is growing at about a 90 per cent rate as high gasoline prices continue to pressure consumers and new subcompacts lure new buyers into what had previously been a dying segment.
The Dearborn, Mich., automaker's decision to import from Brazil follows moves by its domestic competitors to build similarly sized cars overseas and import them to the United States. The General Motors Corp. subcompact Chevrolet Aveo is assembled in South Korea and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group has struck a deal with a Chinese automaker to build similarly sized cars in China.
Ballooning labour costs are pressuring U.S. automakers to invest in manufacturing sites outside North America for several categories of vehicles that will be sold in the United States. Big Three executives are expected to reference their growing importing activities as a negotiating tactic during labour contract talks slated to begin in July, people at each of the automakers said. The companies say they will continue to import more and more cars to the United States if they are unable to cut U.S. labour costs"(snip)
from
http://www.wheels.ca/article/28475
Hopefully Ford will be able to sell enough of these Brazilian 'shitboxes' to American car buyers in the future to allow them to continue producing the legendary Mustangs !
^^^ CAFE Standards require that Ford must sell 3 of these future sub-compacts in order to sell ONE Mustang or ONE SUV. While not directly related to the minimum wage ( other than pointing to outsourcing of production to Brazil / Korea / China by US Big 3 automakers ) , it IS an example of additional gov't meddling in the US automotive 'free market' to the detriment of a US automaker and its US franchised dealers.
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