Poll: Americans Believe Domestic Cars Top Asian Vehicles
April 22, 2010
A major shift seems to have occurred in American public opinion about vehicle build quality.
More Americans now believe the United States produces higher-quality vehicles than Asian countries do, with 38 percent agreeing that American cars are the best and 33 percent siding with Asian vehicles, according to an AP-GfK Poll. LINK:
http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com/pdf/AP-GfK...%20Topline.pdf
The poll suggests that the shift is driven largely by the nosedive Toyota’s reputation has taken, while the public’s impression of Ford continues to grow more positive. The poll was performed in March, when Toyota was embattled in an embarrassing series of recalls affecting eight million vehicles worldwide as well as allegations that it failed to respond quickly enough to concerns about vehicle safety.
Although the advantage domestic vehicles have in the poll is small, it represents an important shift for domestic carmakers beaten down by difficult economic times and unrelenting competition from foreign automakers. When AP asked Americans the same question in 2006, 46 percent agreed that Asian countries produced superior vehicles, while only 29 percent sided with American cars, which reflected a belief in American automotive inferiority that started to take root about 30 years ago.
“Toyota’s problems are not to be minimized here,” said David Williams, the Wayne State University business administration school dean, in addressing the shift.
Domestics Make a Comeback
Williams and other analysts also pointed to the new attitude Americans have toward domestic automakers, particularly GM and Ford. Although Chrysler and GM declared bankruptcy last year and required $80 billion of federal money to stay afloat, General Motors has revised its vehicle lineup with more crossover vehicles and increased fuel efficiency. Experts believe Ford revived its image by improving the gas mileage of its vehicles and refusing federal bailout money.
Reflecting the changing opinions, 15 percent said in the March poll that Toyota produces the best vehicles, down from the 25 percent who gave the same answer in 2006. On the rise was Ford, listed as the best by only nine percent of Americans in 2006 but by 18 percent in March’s poll.
GM remained relatively the same, with 18 percent of Americans saying they make the best cars. Ailing Chrysler received only three percent of the vote.
Brand Loyalty Endures
In spite of the opinion shift, the poll demonstrated that Americans remain loyal to many brands. More than nine in ten owners of Hondas, GMs, Fords, and Toyotas said they were satisfied with their vehicles, with the number slightly lower for Chrysler vehicles.
Included in the brand loyalists is 44-year-old Vernon Harmon, a Rock Hill, South Carolina police officer who owns a Mazda and a Toyota.
“I know people are going to say, ‘That guy, is he not watching the news?” he explained. “I know what’s going on. I still think Japan makes the best cars in the world. Period.”
LINK:
2010 Poll Shows American Cars Most Popular Among Consumers
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