Some models of Bosch dishwashers have built-in softeners (even the ones made in US, I'm told). I think only the most TOL models are made in Germany now.
Fisher&Paykel, oddly enough, seems to sell models with built-in softeners here in US, but not in AU or NZ. Dunno why. Dunno if it counts, as some people will see them as an imported product anyway.
Miele has always sold machines with built-in softeners, but I don't know if that "counts" given that most people will see that as an import.
I am told (but am very out of the loop when it comes to dishwashers, so did not check) that some models from GE, KitchenAid and Maytag have it too. Dunno if any Whirlpool models do. Also not current if LG, Samsung etc currently sell any, it seems they keep changing their lineup every year.
And yes, that era for Bosch the detergent dispensers had holes on top to "pre-activate" the detergent. I used to have a machine bought in 1999 that had that. Great machine, lasted about 8 or 9 years with no trouble, until it broke and it was more expensive to fix than I'd like to spend. I had originally bought it on sale for around 800 bucks, and when I heard it would cost a couple of hundred for the technician to visit and then upwards of 300 for parts and labor, I bailed. I was going to buy another Bosch, but when I noticed they changed the racks, I brought my dishes to the showroom, and wouldn't you know it, they didn't fit as well as the older rack could accommodate them. Got a different brand, which has been working for over 10 years now, still going great -- also can accommodate even more dishes, cleans really well. Only fly on the ointment is that the racks are beginning to rust, very very slowly. One of these days, it will become a problem, and I expect that it will be very expensive to fix too, so I might get a new dishwasher. On the other hand, this has been the *first* dishwasher in my life that has lasted this long, except for the Bosch that made it to 8 or 9, all the others lasted 2 to 5 years, and that's depending on what and how you count, given that most of them broke during the warranty. Granted, they were fixed for free, but kept breaking at regular intervals anyway, and I've spent way more in cheaper dishwashers that didn't last long than buying good machines that clean well and last a long time with no problems and then die and gets discarded.
