Thanks for the examples, I did not specify, but meant USA manufacturers so BMW .Honda etc don't count ...

Do our "Teslas" come from the USA or China?

I think our Tesla's come from Germany.

At a similar time the Cadillac CTS was released in the UK and I do still see one around my local area.

C).Only a giant orange clown would think that making the majority of goods in their country more expensive would be helpful.

Recent detailed reports of his make-up procedures in The Times suggested that the Clown is less orange than he used to be ?

And I am rather surprised that I have seen no attempts to christen him President Turnip, which in a carefully chosen font could be made almost indistinguishable from the real name, and be reminiscent of Baldric ?

So why oh why don't we buy F350 or Silverado pick ups? Is it the woeful build quality? The dismal fuel economy? Could it be the left hand drive only? Or maybe it's the stupidly high cost of these behemoths? 80 to a 100k in Dollars so that's going to be 80 to a 100k in Sterling.

Genuinely puzzling eh?

I’m currently in a Dodge Durango in the US, and it in no way matches European standards.

I hired one over there in 2007 - some time ago.

I liked it, in a utilitarian sort of way.

The fuel consumption was awful. It was an automatic but I don't think it had more than 4 gears?

The build quality was awful - panel gaps were all over the place.

In 2011 I hired a much more expensive car for a business trip over there. It was like stepping back 20 years compared to what we had over here.

‘ The dismal fuel economy?’ We’ve the smallest engined Durango - a 3.6 litre V6 - and driving like Miss Daisy I can just get 26mpg (UK gallons) on a cruise. I am going to baffle the next person to rent this car by leaving the fuel consumption in UK gallons and the A/C in Centigrade.

Be sure to wipe any personal data out of the infotainment dooda. When you pair your phone it can slurp data and that stays for the next person.

‘ The dismal fuel economy?’ We’ve the smallest engined Durango - a 3.6 litre V6 - and driving like Miss Daisy I can just get 26mpg (UK gallons) on a cruise. I am going to baffle the next person to rent this car by leaving the fuel consumption in UK gallons and the A/C in Centigrade.

Must confess I always do that with US hire cars (if they have the option).

I commend your frugality getting 26mpg but I believe the number UK drivers are looking for is closer to 40mpg or more. Which isn't going to happen driving a hefty American behemoth. Personally I've gone 100% EV.

Apparently, the government is considering lowering tariffs on American cars as part of a deal with the US. Japan has recently had the same conversation with the US and has told them that LHD cars will not sell in Japan. In addition, US car manufacturers have said they will not be producing mainstream US market cars in RHD form. So I would imagine that sales here and in Japan will send the message that we don't want their cars.

I’d imaging BMW & Mercedes-Benz are happy with the potential lowering of US-UK tariffs as they both have plants in the US that export to the UK. As far as I know, all the X models from BMW come from Spartanburg in South Carolina.

But aren't practically all their components made in Germany, thus surely the US would have to do a deal with the EU too in order for the cars exported from the UK to Germany or from the US (but from those makes) to be exported here to be free of tariffs?

Otherwise all everyone would do is just assemble products in countries with free trade and make all the components elsewhere.

I’d imaging BMW & Mercedes-Benz are happy with the potential lowering of US-UK tariffs as they both have plants in the US that export to the UK. As far as I know, all the X models from BMW come from Spartanburg in South Carolina.

And Volvo/Polestar.

Automotive is a global industry, with components arriving from multiple countries. It’s difficult to get hard information on how much BMW in the US ‘manufacture’ and how much they ‘assemble’. Engines - the smaller, 3 & 4 cylinder units, come from Birmingham (West Mids, not Alabama). Not looked for the bigger stuff. Gearboxes come from external suppliers - ZF, Getrag, Aisin, etc. Brakes from Brembo, dampers from Bilstein. Electronics from Bosch. Hides for leather interior from Scotland? Who knows. Difficult to envisage, however, BMW importing ready stamped body components from, say, Germany and just welding/bonding them in the US. It’s a fiendishly complex supply chain - who knows the degree of ‘German’ electronics manufactured anywhere but Germany.

No wonder everything goes to pot if / when the Suez or Panama canals get blocked or (in the case of the Pandemic) most flights are cancelled and factories are shut. The just-in-time system using globally-manufactured components requires lots of very small cogs to work correctly in order to the end result to be as intended.

If only our American friends would get the designs right (correct) in the first place so their products are actually worth buying!