An import by any other name........

Driving around is a time when my mind wanders, not that it is a function that is totally confined to the time I’m driving around.   I hate to admit it but as I sit at red light it often happens that when a car catches my eye, it’s a foreign car.   Part of the reason could be because I instantly recognize the Chevy and Ford emblems and I don’t make a mental note, but some of it is just because there are some very nice looking foreign cars.

It’s certainly no state secret that one of the biggest blows to our economy has been the lack of American car sales.  How do we combat the influx of foreign cars and get Americans to buy American?   I have a suggestion!  It certainly falls into the “every little bit helps” category, but here it is:   We simply do not allow foreign manufacturers to use American words and cities on their foreign cars.  We put a stop to the “familiarization” of the cars and trucks they sell here.

Here’s a big “for instance”.   One car that continually catches my eye is the Kia, Soul.   A funny looking, square little car that intrigues me.  Would I even look twice if it were named the Kia, Seoul???    Hyundai is also really hitting it hard with the, Santa Fe, Tucson, and Vera Cruz.   Would those cars be as attractive if they were named after the Korean cities from which they sprang?  Think about it, do you think you’d be as anxious to drive a Hyundai Daegu….or a Busan?.....maybe an Incheon?

Toyota is now the number one selling “American car”……..(insert primal scream here).  That means the Avalon, the Sienna, Tacoma and Sequoia must be very well received by American car buyers.   Think how that might change if you had to drive a Toyota Hiroshima…..or the Tokyo….or the Yokahama.  

Imagine this scenario.   A group of retired guys meet at McDonalds every morning for coffee….cup after cup of coffee.  Sitting around for hours they chew the fat about the only thing older guys have left to talk about…cars and trucks.

“I decided to trade in the old van and get something new.   I’ve been looking at a Toyota Hiroshima.  What do you guys think?” says one guy.   His comment is met with dead silence.   No man is going to admit he’s been looking at a “Hiroshima”, let alone drive one!   That’s just not gonna happen.

I must plead total ignorance about world commerce. For instance,  I can’t really say that our American made cars sold on foreign soil aren’t still named things like the “Ford Focus”, but I’m betting we don’t sell our cars in Japan under the name of Ford-Sushi…..just a wild guess there on my part.

I know it’s just a little thing, but it just might help; let’s call a spade a spade and an import an import.  Next time you’re stuck at a traffic light give it some thought….but don’t ever forget Life is Good.