I say this bulletin from writers at the Cato Institute about the healthy nature of the domestic automobile industry that asserts that Toyota, Honda and Nissan all produce upwards of 70% of their US-sold vehicles here. This makes me curious as to how much engineering and design work these companies, especially the three mentioned, do in the US. What’s the dope?
Well, it was a weekend, during which the board died. So I’ll try this one more time.
I don’t think foreign manufacturers have much engineering work being done in the US. On the other hand, several of them have design studios in the US, with California playing host to quite a few of 'em.
This site provides some data comparing foreign manufacturers contribution to US economy. I think it gives a better perspective on the impact of your buying decision on jobs in the US.
This data which shows domestic content by vehicle brand and model I found particularly interesting.
Those enviro-shiek hybrid cars are all foreign content.
Honda Insight - 0% domestic content
Toyota Prius - 0% domestic content
Ford Escape Hybrid - 55% from here