Re: whats up with mercury
miloman,<br /><br />I don't have specifics on Merc./Brunswick. Yet, let's look at the entire picture.<br /><br />Any engine manufacturer (for that matter, any complex unit/vehicle manufacturer) has serious issues with manufacturiung anything in the US.<br /><br />1. Environmental compliance issues.<br /><br />2. Tort (lawsuit) issues.<br /><br />3. Tarriffs.<br /><br />4. Union demands.<br /><br />Number(s) one and two can be the most expensive. Let me explain.<br /><br />1. Manufacturers that are building engines (off shore) do not have to deal with the same EPA-not even close-laws that onshore mfg's have to deal with.<br /><br />2. Tort. Offshore mfg's have very little of their assets in the US. Yes, a lawsuit can go after US held assets-read mfg. plants, but that's about it. The majority of assets are held-offshore, read; untouchable by US courts.<br /><br />Even with those disadvantages, complex manufacturing has a relatively low return on investment, in the US. It is probably 5% or less.<br /><br />Service parts and accesories are a different story. These lines are typically profitable, yet consumers tend to shy away, due to percieved thoughts of "overpricing". This thought may be, true or not true, it depends on one's perspective of reliability and warranty.<br /><br />I really do not want to go into #3-unions. The labor costs, in this country, are astronomical compared to offshore mfg's. That's a fact of life. We Americans enjoy a certain "quality of life" not seen anywhere else in the world.<br /><br />However, there is a price tag.<br /><br />Merc. Marine is the LAST US manufacturer of outboards and sterndrives. Will they survive, with these roadblocks-probably. But, we'll all pay.
