Auto Talk: Are American cars
really inferior?

By Peter Bohr

Recently, a woman stopped me in the parking lot. "That’s a nice-looking car," she asked. "What is it?"”

I replied that it was a redesigned Pontiac Vibe which I was trying out for a few days. "Too bad," she said. "I’m in the market for a new car, but I would never buy American. They don’t hold up." And off she went.

Too bad, indeed — for her. Had she cared to listen, I would have explained that the Vibe is the product of a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. It’s mechanically identical to Toyota’s Matrix. Both are made in North America. A few styling touches are the most significant differences between the two.

But the woman’s mind was closed. Blind prejudice is never pretty.

That’s the albatross U.S. automakers tote: the perception that they turn out inferior vehicles compared to their Asian and European competitors.

Perhaps it was true in decades past. As a fledgling automotive writer in the mid-1970s, I recall my editor at Road & Track grumbling about finding any new car good enough to grace the cover. Automakers everywhere were struggling to meet new mandates for safety and emissions. Early smog controls sapped performance and ponderous bumpers destroyed cars’ good looks.

Today, I can think of no truly bad American cars. In the past year or so, I’ve marveled at Cadillac’s CTS, as refined a car as its rivals from BMW or Lexus; at Chevrolet’s Malibu and Corvette, the first for its slick styling and overall value, the second for its sensational performance; and at Ford’s Fusion and Edge, each a thoroughly modern package with notable safety and dependability records.

Surveys from market researcher J.D. Power & Associates have shown that overall vehicle reliability, both foreign and domestic, has improved by 5–10% each year during the past 19 years. Their 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study listed six Detroit brands that ranked above average: Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury. In fact, Buick tied with Jaguar for most dependable cars.

In the most recent Motorist Choice Awards by research firms AutoPacific and IntelliChoice, Japanese marques won in 14 out of the 26 vehicle categories. But American vehicles won in nine categories, and European vehicles in just three. The awards went to vehicles that rate highest in owner satisfaction and lowest in ownership costs.

Detroit’s financial difficulties might have driven some to doubt the wisdom of buying American. Regardless, the facts show that domestic cars rate a buyer’s informed consideration.

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