‘CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding Ford and GM’s contributions to the relief and recovery efforts in New York and Washington.
The findings are as follows…..
1. Ford- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number; plus donated 10 Excursions SUVs to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.
2. GM- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of vans, SUV’s, and trucks.
3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack.
4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept.
5. Volkswagen-Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation, funded initial with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.
6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross.
7. Audi-Nothing.
8. BMW-Nothing.
9. Daewoo- Nothing.
10. Fiat-Nothing.
11. Honda- Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001
12. Isuzu- Nothing.
13. Mitsubishi-Nothing.
14. Nissan-Nothing.
15. Porsche-Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website.
16. Subaru- Nothing.
17. Suzuki- Nothing.
18. Toyota-Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001.Condolences posted on the website
Whenever the time may be for you to purchase or lease a new vehicle, keep this information in mind. You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and / or American based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States … It’s OK for these companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this. Say thank you in a way that gets their attention..
Thanks for posing this – very enlightening as I look out my window and see a Ford and Chevy parked in the driveway!
We have a Ford and a Chevy too, and I despise them both (the cars not the companies). My next car will probably be a Subaru. I volunteered for the National Relief Network and the Red Cross in NYC a few weeks after Sept. 11.
Ouch! I have to say that I have always owned Fords, Chevys or Dodges (plus one wonderful magical VW bus) and never had any major problems with any of them. I even kept one Ford truck for 19 years!
That was a great thing you did – volunteering after 9/11.
Liesje, I LOVE my Subaru! Julie H
Margot my problem is these cars are probably the LAST ones I would have picked, had I had a choice! I don’t care either way about the companies I just hate these cars. One is a Mercury Sable and I dislike everything about it (size, shape, how it drives, color, how much has gone wrong, recalls, etc). The other is a 94 Chevy Blazer and I like that one better as far as having a dog-mobile and how it drives but it’s been through the wringer and there’s so much wrong with it I will probably have to pay someone to take it off my hands. The Mercury was purchased used by my husband’s dad and my husband finished the payments in order to own the car, so no choice there unless we wanted a horrible car loan. The Blazer my dad bought from my uncle but then my brother bought his own truck so my mom “sold” it to us since they were paying insurance to keep it in their garage. It had so much go wrong when we got it, I told my mom it was a lemon and she didn’t make me pay the $600 she asked. It’s been owned by several men who have a VERY low standard of upkeep. For example last week I had a job interview and my car was in the shop (go figure) so I drove the Blazer and was so grossed out I had to cover the seat with towels to keep my nice clothes clean! I’m hoping to sell it to some high school boy who just needs something for cruising around town.
My next vehicle will be a Subaru Outback. If dogs did not factor in I would look at a Subaru Imprezza, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Pontiac Vibe.
I just have to chime in on this one. I have proudly and exclusively bought American autos my entire life. My husband is proud to be a Teamster. Those stats are shocking and disappointing. If we want good jobs we need to buy American made products, it is that simple!
I agree with Kimberly. We need to support the Michigan auto industry.
In the last couple of Consumer Reports Ford has had excellent ratings!
I really like the look of the Edge. For a sedan I would look at the Fusion. The Flex is another one I would look at—especially for hauling dogs. The design would allow you to fit in several crates.
This Spring I rented a SUV to drive to KY to breed to Funny. The SUV I was given was a Nissan Muarado (or something like that). It was a very large vehicle but the usable space was less then a small sedan. The design had sloping sides that cut into space that would allow for dog crates. In addition the visibility was extremely poor and almost backed into another car that I could not see at all—if it wasn’t for a construction worker yelling at me, I would have wiped out another car. Do you know how humiliating it is to be called an idiot by someone in KY? Thank God the Nissan had Indiana plates! 🙂
Julie—your comment about being called an idiot by someone in KY just cracked me up!
I agree completely with you and Kimberly. If we don’t support our American Auto Industry, it will have a landslide effect on more than just the big three. Big Three? We’d better start considering how many families count on those jobs provided by our auto industry. They need our support now more than ever.