Chavez to automakers: share know-how or leave

[LincolnV]

Anyway, IMHO, with plants in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, if Chavez forces the situation, it would not be of great importance.

 

I'm sure the issue has already been discussed in Dearborn and a plan of action outlined in the event he does force the situation. Any foreign firms with investments in Venezuela would be wise to come up with a plan B.

 

I think they build the Explorer in Caracas - I'm not sure if the line is shared with any other vehicles.

Edited December 25, 2009 by LincolnV

[Unknown25]

Ford should "accidentally" burn down the plant in Venezuela. Ford has the following vehicles in Venezuela

 

The plant in Venezuela produces the following:

Festiva

Last-gen Fiesta

Laser

 

and Explorer

[ausrutherford]

Ford should "accidentally" burn down the plant in Venezuela. Ford has the following vehicles in Venezuela

 

The plant in Venezuela produces the following:

Festiva

Last-gen Fiesta

Laser

 

and Explorer

 

The three above cars are not produced anymore. The Ven. plant might build the Fiesta but not that one, it would be the SA Fiesta.

[joihan777]

Re-plant the factory in a country very capitalist and very anti-Chavez. Hopefully starting with the important stuff. Make a public statement of apology afterwards. The people (and hopefully the dolts who'elected' him) will soon hear of their jobs ina another country.

 

What's Daffy, err Chavez gonna say when they turn and look at him? Typical AMerican & French? Sooner or later people will realize the gimp is a gimp. Hell, even the rooskies figured it out.

[ANTAUS]

Chavez is taking careful, and cautious steps towards communism. Facts are, he's friends with Fidel Castro and ousted President of Honduras Manual Zelaya. Luckily for the Honduran army, they acted fast when they saw the steps Zelaya was taking and put him on a plane (after the beat the crap out of him and his lover) and sent him off. Notice the steps Chavez is taking is not any different than that of Castro took in the 50s. This is just another step. When you have developing countries where your either very wealthy, or very poor, you have leaders who promise the very poor a piece of the rich...how can they say No to them...so they back these communist leaders into office while the rich are pushed off (usually to the US).

 

Ironically, the family that bought my house in Miami when I fled The Banana Republic ,where Venezuelan and luckily they had established american bank accounts...Granted, they paid 3 times more what I did for my house, but that was the height of the market, and it was an all cash deal. They owned numerous properties in Venezuela where they essentially allowed friends and family to habit them before the government would take it over. As for their business, Chavez took over but luckily the mass of their wealth was already invested here in the U.S. What sucks for these people was that their grandfather which was Cuban, faced similar things when Fidel Castro took over Cuba in the 50s... And considering he was about 85, the guy told me he was not about to start a new life in another country, considering this has been the 2nd country where he created wealth for himself, and have been pushed out by communism. So he's staying in Venezuela because he doesnt have the soul/spirit to do it again.

 

So in relation to Ford, I would just pack up and leave. Let the Russians/Chinese have that market...its very limited when the majority of the rich people are fleeing, who will buy your products? Take the dies, take all intellectual property, if it's not bolted down, TAKE IT. Get out, its NOT going to get better.

[rmc523]

Amen brother. And don't buy gas at Citgo.

 

Or Petro America (or something like that) - that's also under Chavez's control.

[move4ward]

There's always a a risk of seizure. Why build any cars in Venezuela, when there are other South American countries that are more business friendly? Is it a requirement that cars must be built in Venezuela to be sold there?

 

I never buy from Citgo. It's not worth the 2-3 pennies/gallon savings. Chavez always try to steal millions of dollars in American innovation or property. It's not a fair trade off.

Edited December 26, 2009 by move4ward

[battyr]

If only it were that easy. Venezuela is the 4th largest source of oil for the U.S.

 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petrole...ent/import.html

 

Canada is gearing up to sell another 3 million barrels per day from the oilsands to the US. Mexico is running out of oil. The US can drop imports from both Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. The problem is that the oil from Venezuela is cheaper than from Canada.

 

TAX all oil from outside of NAFTA!

[mustang84isu]

There's always a a risk of seizure. Why build any cars in Venezuela, when there are other South American countries that are more business friendly? Is it a requirement that cars must be built in Venezuela to be sold there?

 

I never buy from Citgo. It's not worth the 2-3 pennies/gallon savings. Chavez always try to steal millions of dollars in American innovation or property. It's not a fair trade off.

Ford has been firmly rooted in Venezuela for most of its life. The first car sold in South America was sold in Venezuela in 1911, and Ford set up Valencia Assembly in 1962. The Valencia plant also supplies the countries of Ecuador and Colombia. That is why it is probably hard for Ford to just uproot itself from Venezuela, but I agree it is time to do something before the intellectual property gets in the hands of the wrong people.