Call me crazy, but I always thought that the previous-generation Volvo S40 was one of the most interesting cars in the world. Why? Because it was the ultimate illustration of globalization at work. Just think: A car from a Swedish company (Volvo), owned by an American company (Ford), with engineering and parts from a Japanese company (Mitsubishi) that was partially owned by a German company (DaimlerChrysler) that had purchased an American company (Chrysler).
NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett might just agree with me. Jarrett will soon be racing for Toyota - the first foreign make to race full-time in the NASCAR premier series. In a recent sit-down with NASCAR’s web site, Jarrett offered a few insights into the modern automotive industry:
“As far as Toyota, sure, the parent company is foreign,” Jarrett said. “We could get into the argument about where the Ford Fusion is built; every one of them are built in Mexico. The Monte Carlos are built in Canada.
So we could go through all that stuff and see who is right and who is wrong, but there are a lot of Toyotas that are built in the United States. They employ a lot of people.”
But, Dale, how about the American brands and all of that tradition? Shouldn’t we be psuhing our own stuff?
“But we have to be accepting of change. If we don’t, then you would still be watching 12-inch TV screens, and that’s not a lot of fun whenever you’ve got everything else that’s out there.”
Not sure what (if any) this move could have on domestic brands. Granted, I never knew how they sold ANY Chevy Monte Carlos for all those years until I found out that they raced them in NASCAR. (Hey, I’m a New Yorker, I had never even heard of Dale Jarrett before I caught this interview on the NASCAR site.) But he makes alot of sense. Why has NASCAR been stuck with the “Big Three?” Half of America doesn’t even buy domestic products!
And with that, I’ll sit down and my bowl of Sushi-Cloudberry-Wienerschnitzel Pie.