R60 MINI made in Mexico

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May 20, 2014 | 05:20 AM

#26

bratling

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From: North of Boston, MA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Kay

Country of assembly doesn't matter as much as the concern the parent company has for quality. Consider that China is full of manhole covers that can't support the weight of vehicles and sometimes pedestrians, but the iPhone is built there, and no one could honestly say it isn't a quality product.

Well put. Products are assembled with exactly the care and precision required by the manufacturer, regardless of where it is built. Badly assembled product? The manufacturer knows and approves. Or the suppliers and contract factories wouldn't get paid.

May 20, 2014 | 05:48 AM

#27

mikey_t

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I dont know that i fully agree with that statement but it is an ideal situation and with the buy-in of the labour force it's even better. But, there is still some human element to the design and the build process that leads to problems in the finished product which aren't identified until the product has been used for a while.

May 20, 2014 | 06:40 AM

#28

Elmj

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Z06_Pilot

Could not agree more. I believe some folks have the idea that Euro (especially German) builds are somehow superior in quality. Check out the 2013 JD power quality survey. Mini, BMW, VW, all in the lower half of the quality ratings.

We have had a couple of Hondas built 35 miles from our house, with over 100k miles each and neither was ever at the dealer for anything other than routine maintenance....downside? BORING CARS.....ever since Honda dumped the S2000, they have absolutely nothing that's interesting or engaging to drive.

I like that the R56 is still built in Oxford for sentimental reasons-it started as a British brand, and that factory has some history......

I have the same feeling ultimately I don't really care where "a"car is built or by whom, but a MINI feels like it ought to be built in England

May 20, 2014 | 07:09 AM

#29

bavmotors

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From: Near Buffalo NY

It's not where it's built that I have the issue, but if they move to Mexico to lower production cost, then the price of the car should reflect.

May 20, 2014 | 07:27 AM

#30

Elmj

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bavmotors

It's not where it's built that I have the issue, but if they move to Mexico to lower production cost, then the price of the car should reflect.

I've read that is not going to happen ,BMW feels the margin is very low for them so any savings is going back to them.

May 20, 2014 | 07:57 AM

#31

HorseWithNoName

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IMO,

It's people who monitor the performance of the automated equipment and performs the non automated process and ultimately decide based on given objects and empowerment levels what is acceptable and not.

It's a fine line between excellence and mediocrey, first and last, the best and worst in business, in sports and in manufacturing quality products.

Chasing the cheepest labor is not chasing excellences...

Last edited by HorseWithNoName; Jul 9, 2014 at 12:22 AM.