American Quality - Not An Oxymoron

To many car buyers "American Quality" seems to be an oxymoron but to just about everyone I've met in the auto re-marketing business the quality of the American built car is regarded as the best kept secret in the car business. Strategic Vision has released their 2008 Total Quality Awards. Both Ford and Toyota were in a dead heat, each having won or tied in five different categories.

What makes this quality award interesting is that it is not a measure of absolute reliability, rather it measures overall owner satisfaction. Owners are asked to fill out a survey that questions them regarding reliability, vehicle characteristics, dealership experience, styling, interior and exterior design and their overall perception of initial quality. This is a much more subjective way to rate the ownership experience and it differs significantly with how organizations such as Consumer Reports measures quality, which is primarily based on measured mechanical issues. As a result, the rankings of these two very different surveys offer significant differences in vehicle rankings.

So what is a buyer to do when they see contradictory survey results? It clear that you have to focus in on the specific factors that are most important to you, as a buyer and owner. When mechanical reliability is very close (as it is for most foreign and domestics vehicles today, you must weigh price, style, technology and comfort features, safety and fuel economy. The thing to avoid is generalizations and unsubstantiated popular opinion.

I've placed a link to the 2008 Strategic Vision news release and the Consumer Reports Top Picks on this Blog for reference.