The Sometimes Fail-Tacular History Of Captive Import Cars In
America (And Other Places)S  Have you ever noticed that the term
"import car" doesn't get tossed around like it used to? In these
days of Toyotas from California, Volkswagens from Tennessee and
Chevrolets from Canada, it's becoming harder and harder to tell
the difference between a "foreign" and a "domestic" car.  I'm
not really a fan of making that distinction anymore. Car
companies have become so globalized that it's much harder to say
what's American, Asian or European these days, especially when
you consider that they often share parts from the same places.
Things used to be much more clear cut — at least, they were
until the captive import came along.  Even if you're not
familiar with that term, you've seen a captive import on the
road. Maybe you've even owned one. The Cadillac Catera, the most
recent Pontiac GTO, or even the humble Chevrolet Aveo? All
captive imports. When an American (in our case) automaker
decides to bring a car they build