When buying a car, you probably wonder: what are the odds it will turn out to be a lemon? Does it have a shot at requiring no repairs at all? Traditional sources of car reliability information have never answered these questions. They’ve only provided vague dot ratings that indicate how a car compares to the average for all cars. Even… More →
Month: November 2009
GM: we’re going to improve quality, too
Earlier this week Chrysler talked about taking real steps to improve its quality. Today it’s GM. Mark Reuss, GM’s head of engineering, had this to say to the Detroit Free Press: “Reliability has been the Achilles’ heel of GM for my entire career,” he said, promising he would focus the company’s engineers around the world on fixing the problem. “It… More →
Chrysler – a quality leader by the end of 2012?
According to today’s Detroit News, Chrysler is claiming that they will be a (though not “the”) quality leader by the end of 2012. They (and many other auto makers) have made similar claims before. Sometimes they achieve these goals. More often they don’t. Chrysler’s chances? Chrysler is increasing its odds of success by making what appear to be substantial changes… More →
Why the Ford Fusion wins awards
Motor Trend has announced that the Ford Fusion has won its Car of the Year award. The Fusion isn’t a particularly exciting car. So why the win? Probably because the Ford Fusion has become the poster child for Detroit’s ability to build a good car for the average person. It’s the car that car enthusiasts now recommend to their aunt… More →
2010 Suzuki Kizashi – how does its price compare?
Suzuki has released the pricing and features for its new (almost) midsize Kizashi sedan, and I rushed them into TrueDelta’s database to see how the car stacks up. Suzuki is marketing the car as offering more features and premium materials for the same or less money. But does it really? Compared to a Chevrolet Malibu LS (with optional spare tire… More →
Complete coverage of Chrysler’s five-year plan
A few days ago Chrysler presented their five-year-plan to journalists. The associated new ads have gotten most of the attention, because they, well, could be better. But other aspects of the plan are more worthy of attention: Best coverage of the Chrysler’s Five-year Plan. It’s worth noting that the Fiat and Chrysler lines have very little overlap, so each company… More →
ICOTY candidates–who’s likely to win?
Finalists have been announced for the ICOTY (International Car of the Year) award. Winners will be announced at NAIAS (the Detroit auto show) in January. A few dozen leading auto writers from various publications and websites vote, so advertising is not a factor in this one. The car finalists: 1. Chevrolet Camaro 2. Ford Taurus 3. Hyundai Genesis The truck… More →
Chrysler’s mistake with the Dodge and Ram brands
Today Chrysler officially announced that they will be splitting the Ram pickup away from the Dodge brand, and making “Ram” a separate brand. Pickuptruck.com has posted 5 reasons why it’s wrong to divorce Ram trucks from the Dodge brand. And they’re good ones, chiefly that Ram truck owners think of their trucks as Dodges and are the brand most loyal… More →
Does Mazda have a rust problem?
I’ve long thought rust was a thing of the past. Rust prevention technology has gotten so good that I haven’t had a car with a rust problem since a decade-old 1985 Ford Escort. And even with the Escort rust wasn’t externally visible. I hardly ever see a car with visible rust around the Detroit suburbs, and those I do see… More →