this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
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I'm shopping for a new car, and would like to choose one made with the least bad labour practices, if possible.

My reading suggests there is literally no good choice, but curious if anyone here has a perspective that could inform my choice.

Is there any car company that shits on their workers less and/or chooses contractors/vendors that shit on their workers less than the rest? Or are we just doomed to drive around the blood sweat and tears of exploited persons?

Shopping in America.

Edit: New to me. Used just as likely.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If you are buying a Japanese car that is made in Japan, that would be my suggestion but I don't know what the labour practises of US built Japanese cars is like.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago

I have don't literally 0 research so I'm talking out my ass right now. But I would be shocked if cars made in Japan have good labor practices. In Japanese culture it is perfectly normally to work 12+ hours a day. They have one of the worst work cultures of any first world country. It's so bad that most Japanese media that is about children, they rarely if ever mention the characters' dad. Think about Pokemon. In most games, they never mention your dad. It's not even weird that he's completely absent. This is just a fact for Japanese children. They don't even know their dads because their dads are always at work, and it's just something they accept. The one pokemon game that I remember meeting your dad in, he's actually at work, and you visit him at work (he's a gym leader).

So my point is that I don't know why car manufacturering in Japan would be any different than every other industry in Japan, which convinces workers to want to work 12-16 hours a day.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Thanks for the suggestion!

Unfortunately I found this about Honda Canada (presumably same in US because they can), but I'll see if there's a way to get a Japanese made one.

https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/how-hondas-anti-union-monitor-works

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

The VIN tells you country of manufacture with the first digit. US is 1, Canada is 2, Mexico is 3, Japan is J, and Germany is W, to cover the main ones you'll see in the US. You'll likely have base your model choice on that. It's not like you can request a Japanese Accord just for fun. Sometimes a particular trim might be built in Japan for some reason. I think the Subaru Crosstrek and most Mazdas are still Js

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wonder if that originally stood for West Germany

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Seems that way: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number#Country_or_region_codes

  • SN-ST Germany (formerly East Germany)
  • W Germany (formerly West Germany)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

TIL how to read VINs. Thank you!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not like you can request a Japanese Accord just for fun

You can, you'll just have to pay for it. I fix cars for a living, I've worked on a handful of imported right hand drive cars for a few people. Most of those cars came out of Japan.

Granted, most of them weren't Honda Accords, because someone willing to spend the money to custom ship a Japanese car across the ocean is probably buying something more impressive than that. But you could do it if you wanted.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

New? Or you talking 25 year old imports? For us mortals in the US, you can't readily get a new car here from another continent. That's what I'm assuming OP is buying since it sounds like they want to support the manufacturer directly. Import cars have to be 25 years old, registered as display/exhibit only, have a bunch of paperwork to convince the vehicle commission that your import is "substantially similar" to a USDM version, or supply 4 duplicates for them to crash test and pass US emmisions. Or of course have fuckyou money, drive it like it's stolen, and not care when you get fined $10k and watch Customs crush your car. That goes for VIN swaps too.

And nah, I bet you someone has imported a JDM Accord a dozen times by now. The nameplate is old enough, right? Americans keep importing garbage cars for the status. I'm guilty of shopping for kei trucks but bought a Sidekick instead

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Mazda produces in Mexico, Japan, and USA. Only the CX-50 is made in a Toyota collaborative production facility in Huntsville, Alabama under vin 7MM.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Subarus seem to be overwhelmingly made in Subaru's facilities in Gunma.

As far as I know, final assembly in the US and Canada is just finishing and installation of various options.

EDIT: Oh, it looks like their Indiana facility builds most of the units for the US market. Well, phbbt.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Found the Reuters report which ain't great, but it still seems like they're a better choice than the US big 3. Thanks for the info!

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/japan-subaru/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Buy a Subaru Solterra. Built in Japan.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Any reason to choose that model over the Forester in the context of this question? Are the Foresters sold in America not built in the same factories? Just looked it up and on paper they both suit my needs, but the Solterra is a bit bigger and pricier.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Ohhh duh thank you. Totally missed that bit when scanning for ground clearance and price.

I'll add that to the list. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Anti union, but not horribly abusive from what I hear