I have heard that in parts of the country, people do not seem to know that Ford, for example, builds anything other than the F-150 and Mustang. This, sadly, has happened for good reason. During the truck and SUV boom of the 90′s, the American manufacturers let their car programs fall by the wayside, instead focusing a large portion of their development budget on the newest, latest, greatest, and biggest 4×4′s. Cars were an after-thought, as they did not bring in the same large profits of their truck and SUV bretheren. The Japanese manufacturers produced quality cars, but even they wanted a piece of the truck and SUV profit pie, and eventually built plants in America to build their own versions of the gas-guzzlers.
Even though this was the case as little as 5 years ago, the American 3 have made a very strong comeback in the car arena. As you could see in my earlier post about their fuel efficency, they build small and mid-size cars that are very competitive when compared to their foreign rivals. I also pointed out that their designs are built to high quality standards, putting them in the same league as the foreign brands. To prove that their cars have other very strong selling points are a couple awards that I would like to point out.
Last year the Saturn Aura mid-size sedan was named the 2007 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI.
Then in 2008 the Chevrolet Malibu took home the honors winning 2008 North American Car of the Year. Both of these cars were up against some steep competition (both domestic and foreign) and were picked by a large jury made up of various members of the automotive media.
The 2008 Cadillac CTS won Motor Trend magazines coveted 2008 Car of the Year award.
For 2008, 3 GM vehicles made it on Car and Driver’s 10 Best List; the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac CTS, more than any other manufacturer.
In 2007, Ford won more JD Power awards than any other automaker. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury all had segment winners. Those three nameplates also finished in the Top 10.
The 2008 Ford Focus was named one of Kelly Blue Book’s Top 10 coolest cars under $18,000. With its combination of SYNC in car entertainment technology and 35 mpg on the highway, it was a tough car to beat.
The Ford Mustang ranked as the most problem-free “Midsize sporty car” from JD Power’s survey, while the Mercuy Milan was the highest ranked mid-sized car, and its sibling, the Lincoln MKZ, was the top-ranked “Entry premium car.”
All of these awards are only a small part of the story behind the cars that make up the American 3′s portfolios these days. Their trucks and SUV’s are superbly engineered, besting those offered up by their foreign competition. That same engineering mentality that goes into their trucks and SUV’s, is now applied to their car programs as well. “Good enough is not good enough” any longer. From the Chevrolet Malibu, to the Ford Fusion, the quality shows. They do not build just trucks and SUV’s, they build some damn fine automobiles as well!
Tags: Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Malibu, F-150, Ford, Ford F-150, Ford F150, Ford Focus, Ford Mustang, Lincoln, Mercury, Mustang, Myths, Saturn Aura
