Detroit Automakers: Myths And Facts

   We all know that the Big 3 automakers are trying to get money from the government in order to keep their doors open. That's nothing new.

   I've been browsing around today just looking  for some interesting tidbits when I ran across this story on the myths that we continue to hear about our automakers and what the actual facts are. I was surprised at a few of the stats.

Myth : Nobody buys their vehicles

Fact :  The big three sold 8.5 million cars in the U.S. last year. In the U.S. last year, GM outsold Toyota by 1.2 million cars and leads in sales this year by 700,000 vehicles. In 2007, GM was the global leader in manufacturing, not by much, over Toyota. GM sold 9,369,524 around the world, besting Toyota by 3,000.

Ford outsold Honda by about 850,000 and Nissan by more than 1.3 million vehicles in the United States last year.

Chrysler sold more vehicles here than Nissan and Hyundai combined in 2007 and so far this year.

Myth : They build unreliable junk

Fact :

The creaky, leaky vehicles of the 1980s and '90s are long gone. Consumer Reports recently found that "Ford's reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers."

The independent J.D. Power Initial Quality Study scored Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Mercury, Pontiac and Lincoln brands' overall quality as high as or higher than that of Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Nissan, Scion, Volkswagen and Volvo.

J.D. Power rated the Chevrolet Malibu the highest-quality midsize sedan. Both the Malibu and Ford Fusion scored better than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Myth : They build gas-guzzlers

Fact :

All of the Detroit Three build midsize sedans that the Environmental Protection Agency rates at 29-33 miles per gallon on the highway.

The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Malibu gets 33 m.p.g. on the highway, 2 m.p.g. better than the best Honda Accord. The most fuel-efficient Ford Focus has the same highway fuel economy ratings as the most efficient Toyota Corolla. The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Cobalt has the same city fuel economy and better highway fuel economy than the most efficient non-hybrid Honda Civic.

A recent study by Edmunds.com found that the Chevrolet Aveo subcompact is the least expensive car to buy and operate

  There are a few more myth/facts to take a look at if you want to get a little more educated about our auto industry.   Read More...

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