U.S. Auto manufacturing cities.

[zman]

Out west, I have always equated auto manufacturing to solely being in Detroit. Over the past couple years I have noticed that there are other cities that have plants too.
All of my Dad's Ford Trucks have been made primarily in Minneapolis, while my old Explorer (and my Dad's current one) were made in St. Louis. I also remember my Dad and Grandfather talking about the Studebaker plant in South Bend, IN. (I think)
I know some Japanese car makers have plants in the south, as well as Saturn's Tennessee plant.
There are also many parts plants too, around the midwest (I assume).

Obviously heavy manufacturing never took off well in Denver, and I don;t know of any auto plants out west.

Is there a website, or some info on what cities have major assembly plants, and what makes/models are built there? Any info would be great!

Thanks!

[The One]

I was under the impression that many manufacturing processes require large amounts of cheap water.....may be one reason they seem to like to locate in the mississippi river basin. Yeah, not many cars being built in Montana or Utah lately...

[zman]

Interesting point, TO. I never thought of water being a factor, but I do know Denver (or the whole Rocky Mountain region) doesn't have a lot of it.

[The One]

Parts of the west have a lot of water, it just all gets used in agricultural production (mostly hay/grains and sugar beet production). About ten years ago in Colorado it was about 85% of captured water was used for agricultural purposes with the rest split between commercial/industrial uses and residential consumption. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in much of the west, in my opinion.







ok, this is the part where the one sits back, gets the popcorn and waits to read all the rants from people who drink the cool aide sponsored by big agricultural interests in dry states

[zman]

ok, this is the part where the one sits back, gets the popcorn and waits to read all the rants from people who drink the cool aide sponsored by big agricultural interests in dry states

Why don't we sit back and wait for all the Midwest-Industrial Cyburbians to give me answers too...

Come on, Guys! This is gold!

[DetroitPlanner]

AHhhhhhh... Detroit was an ideal site for manufacturing because we had steel mills. Raw materials including iron ore from the North and coal from PA we shipped here by lake frieghters (and still are).

I don't really know of one site that lists which plant makes what. I do know that Crain's Communications, publishes the automotive news and Crain's Detroit Business keeps track of this sort of stuff. They do have a website, but you need to have subscriptions to access it. They are big on lists.

[mendelman]

Well....of the top of my head.....

Detroit, MI - You name it, it mostly likely has/had an assembly plant here.
Lansing, MI - ancestral home of Oldsmobile, now dead though
Flint, MI - GM maufacturing dominated (assembly, parts, Buick City, Chevrolet, GMC trucks, etc.), mostly gone now except the GM truck plant (half in the City, half in the Township)
Saginaw, MI - some sort of GM facility, still active, I think.
Metro Detroit - US headquarters for Daimler/Chrysler, tons of parts, assembly, and research facilities
Dearborn, MI - Ford Motor Company headquarters (my father-in-law is an engineer for FoMoCo)
Chicago, IL - Ford City assembly plant...assembles the new Ford 500 on the City's southwest side and other facilities...I'm sure.
Winsdor, ON, CAN - assembly location for a very famous Ford large V8 engine.
Metro Toronto, ON, CAN - assembly for Ford Freestar
Metro Rockford, IL - Dodge Neon assembly plant
Toeldo, OH - Jeep Wrangler (at least) and Ford Mustang assembly plants (and I'm sure there are parts plants too)
Adrian, MI - Ford plant (parts or assembly...not excatly sure)
River Rouge, MI - Can you say "Vertical Intergration" - raw materials to finished car in about an hour. It is a gigantic Ford production facility with direct Detroit River access and therefore worldwide waterbound shipping.

Up till the creation of the Interstate road system, access to heavy rail and waterways were ideal locations for auto production facilities, but now with the Interstates and prevasive truck shipping, the companies choose locations with good access to them and were the raw land (huge empty parcels - over 20 acres) is available.

[BKM]

Fremont, California: NUMMI (Toyota/Geo) (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.)
Fort Wayne, Indiana: GM Pickup Trucks

On a slightly off-topic note, Atlantic Monthly had a little "post-economic crash history" of the United States, including a mention of Toyota buying General Motors and Ford.

[bflo_la]

Dan, do you have an source for Buffalo's autmotive history and peak employment?

For current plants I can think of:

GM Engine Plant (Formerly Chevy Forge)....
GM's Delevan Plant
GM's joint venture w/ Hyundai
Ford Plant in Woodlawn
Delphi (Harrison Radiator / AC Delco)

I think there's a GM spin-off in Depew

Trico - once had 3 plants employing thousands into the 80's.... not sure if there's anything left.

It would be interesting to compile auto and steel job peak employment in Buffalo by plant.

[BKM]

If forgot the home, sweet home of my car: West Lafayette, Indiana (Subaru Assembly Plant).

Interestingly enough, the Saab-badged Wr-X is assembled in Japan.

As is the air conditioning system

Since we're talking parts and engines:

Fort Wayne: (downsized) Dana Spicer Axle, former Zollner Piston (now part of a German conglomerate), Navistar Engineering Center (stayed in Fort Wayne for some reason, depsite the loss of all the manufacturing).
Indianapolis: Detroit Diesel Allison
Muncie, Marion, Kokomo, Anderson, Indiana: Delco Remy, various other parts plants
Dayton, Ohio; Absolutely chock-a-block with GM parts plants, if I remember.

Anna, Ohio: Honda Motor Car (and motorcycle)-actually sells more cars in the US than Japan.

[BKM]

Trico - once had 3 plants employing thousands into the 80's.... not sure if there's anything left.
.

Not anymore, according to their website. Their manufacturing is in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas (and Springville, TN) A Google Nerd Am I.

[nuovorecord]

GM has/had a plant in Bowling Green, KY, where they built Corvettes. But I recall reading that it was either shut down or converted to SUV production. Can anyone confirm/refute this?

[Kovanovich]

Many cities in northern Ohio. Lorain is among the most important, aside from Toledo, though car manufacturing certainly doesn't go back as far in Lorain as it does in the Detroit area. Ford benefited from the steel mills in town. Famous for the Thunderbird.

[drucee]

*GAG* Hummers are made in South Bend. *GAG.*

And the Ford City plant on the Southwest Side hasn't existed since 1983; it's been the major shopping mall for inner-city Chicago since then.

[mendelman]

And the Ford City plant on the Southwest Side hasn't existed since 1983; it's been the major shopping mall for inner-city Chicago since then.

Wait...good info...thanks...but there is a Ford assembly plant in Chicago that produces the Ford 500/Mercury Montego...then it must be on the the far southeast side of the City - yes, 12600 S. Torrence Ave near Pullman neighborhood

[DetroitPlanner]

Wait...good info...thanks...but there is a Ford assembly plant in Chicago that produces the Ford 500/Mercury Montego...then it must be on the the far southeast side of the City - yes, 12600 S. Torrence Ave near Pullman neighborhood

All of my Foriegn (non-Detroit) made cars were built at this plant. See how pragmatic I've become!

[DetroitPlanner]

Detroit Made Cars: All Large Caddies, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Viper, Dodge Dakota.

Detroit area made cars: Lincoln Town Car, Lincoln SLS, Ford Thunderbird, Mazda 626, Ford Mustang, Ford F-150, Lincoln Navigator/Ford Large SUV's, Chrysler Sebrinig/Dodge Stratus

Probably more, but I can't think of any off the top of my head, other assembly plants in Flint and Lansing, and of course Toledo.

[DetroitPlanner]

Whoops in Windor Ontario they make Chrylser Vans and Minivans, further Down 401 in St Thomas is the Mercury Marquis/Ford Crown Vic's, and there is the CAMI plant just E of London wehrere they make the Geo Tracker (whatever it is called these days).

[eightiesfan]

Dayton, OH still has a few plants. I don't think it's nearly as profound as it used to be though.

I know that the Corvette Museum is still in Bowling Green, KY and I was under the impression that the cars were still being built in Bowling Green, but it has been years since I took the factory tour.

[DetroitPlanner]

Dayton, OH still has a few plants. I don't think it's nearly as profound as it used to be though.

I know that the Corvette Museum is still in Bowling Green, KY and I was under the impression that the cars were still being built in Bowling Green, but it has been years since I took the factory tour.

Yes its still running vette's. In addition it now has the very vette-like caddy roadster.

[zman]

People, other than Police Departments, still buy Crown Vic's? WOW I never knew...

Thanks for all the info guys. It helps soothe my curiosity.

[metroboi]

Here are a few Southern ones.

• Greenville, SC - BMW (X5, Z4 Roadster)
• Tuscolusa, AL - Mercedes Benz (M-series, R-Series, new G-series)
• San Antonio, Tx - Toyota (New Tundra Pickup Plant)
• Georgetown, KY - Toyota (Camry, Avalon, Solara, engines other components)
• Charlotte Metro - Freightliner midrange trucks
• Gaffney, SC - Mercedes brand trucks are "Americanized" into Dodges and Freightliners
• Nashville Metro - Nissan (Frontier, Xterra, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, engines, transmissions)
• Lincoln, AL - Honda(Odyssey minivan, Pilot, Acura MDX, V6 engines)
• Canton, Miss - Nissan (Quest, Armada, Titan, Altima, Infinit QX56)

[boiker]

Bloomington/Normal, IL - Mitsubishi Eclipse and previously Dodge/Chrysler Stratus.

[Markitect]

Appleton, WI - Pierce Manufacturing, subsidiary of Oshkosh Truck (fire and emergency apparatus)

Franklin, WI - Harley-Davidson (parts and accessories distribution)

Janesville, WI - General Motors (various trucks and SUVs)

Kenosha, WI - DiamlerChrysler (engines)

Milwaukee, WI - Harley Davidson (corporate headquarters and sales offices)

Milwaukee, WI - Tower Automotive (body frames for Ford and Dogde pick-up trucks)

Menomonee Falls, WI - Harley-Davidson (powertrain operations)

Oshkosh, WI - Oshkosh Truck (corporate headquarters, fire and emergency apparatus, military trucks, concrete mixers, snow plows)

Tomahawk, WI - Harley-Davidson (windshields, sidecars, parts)

Wauwatosa, WI - Harley Davidson (powertrain operations and product development)

[Bear Up North]

Good thread, Z-Man.....

Toledo was mentioned by a few thread responders. mendelman said that Toledo does Jeep Wranglers and Ford Mustangs. Yes, to Jeep Wranglers and the big new plant on the north side builds Jeep Libertys. Toledo does not build Mustangs.

Toledo has a GM Powertrain plant that is usually rated number one (1) in productivity in auto transmissions. Nearby Defiance, OH, has a huge GM castings plant. Both of these plants, with huge new investments and high productivity ratings, are in a strong position compared to some GM assembly plants.

Ford Motor has a big Stamping Plant in suburban Maumee, OH. Daimler-Chrysler has a big machining plant in the south suburbs, alongside the Ohio Turnpike.
Batteries are manufactured in suburban Holland, OH. Automotive glass is manufactured at a couple Toledo plants. Smaller auto parts companies are making seats, dashboards, misc. auto parts, and after-market items, such as luggage racks.

Toledo HAD the dubious honor of having the oldest automobile assembly factory in the world.....the Jeep North Cove plant. Most of that plant has been buldozed in the last couple years.....Jeep (Daimler-Chrysler) built the giant new Liberty plant on the north side, along I-75. Evren as we discuss this, they are building more square-footage and numerous "non-union" suppliers are building small just-in-time facilities that will feed the big plant.

Long-gone from Toledo: The Pope-Toledo Autocar (about 1910?), Champion Spark Plug, Electric Auto-Light (the scene of a violent strike that many say was the start of the power behind the UAW), and the good old Willys Overland.

Bear