Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Consumer Reports - "Ford Secures Place Among World's Most Reliable Carmakers"

@FordOnline DEARBORN -- Already producing world-class initial quality, Ford now is the only U.S. domestic automaker with world-class reliability, according to Consumer Reports, which released details Tuesday of its 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey.
The magazine's news release heralded the company’s quality improvement, stating in the headline that "Ford Secures Place Among World's Most Reliable Carmakers."
According to the Consumer Reports release, "Ford's sustained production of vehicles that are as dependable – or better than – some of the industry's best dispels the notion that only Japanese manufacturers make reliable cars. Other than the Toyota Prius, the reliability of the 4-cylinder Fusion and Milan ranks higher than that of any other family sedan. Both of those Ford Motor Company products continue to beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, while the upscale Lincoln MKZ tops its rivals, the Acura TL and Lexus ES."
David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Automotive Test Center, had additional praise for Ford's trio of mid-size sedans.
"It's rare for Consumer Reports to see family sedans from domestic carmakers continue to beat the reliability scores of such highly regarded Japanese models as the Camry and Accord," said Champion in the news release.
Overall, about 90 percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products were rated average or better reliability in the Consumer Reports survey.
"The Ford team has a commitment to be world class in quality, and we’ve made consistent strides over the last five years," said Bennie Fowler, group vice president, Ford Global Quality. "Today is a great day for us and for our customers, to have such a highly regarded third party – Consumer Reports -- recognize us for what we already know."
The Ford Mustang V-6 was among the most reliable vehicles in the "Sporty Cars/Coupes and Convertibles" category. The new Ford Flex also performed well in the study.
Consumer Reports says its 2009 reliability survey is based on responses on more than 1.4 million vehicles owned or leased by subscribers to the magazine or its Web site. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2009 and covers model years 2000 to 2009.
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TheCarConnection.Com Honda, Toyota, Acura and Lexus all have deservedly solid reputations for reliability and quality. But according to Consumer Reports' latest Reliability Survey, the brands at the head of the class are Ford and Lincoln--at least when it comes to the core volume models.
The survey, which took responses from 1.4 million vehicle owners or lessors, found the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan to beat out all family sedans for reliability, including the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Lincoln MKZ likewise trumped the Acura TL and Lexus ES.
It's not just the Fusion/Milan and MKZ that are at the top of the list, though--roughly 90% of Ford's vehicles come out average or better for reliability according to the study. Some vehicles, like the all-wheel drive versions of the Lincoln MKS, MKX and MKZ, scored below average, however.
The title for least reliable vehicle goes to Volkswagen this year, for the Touareg, which is 27 times more likely to have a problem than the Honda Insight, which topped the charts for reliability. Toyota and Honda still come out well on the overall results--Asian carmakers in general do, in fact, taking 36 of the 48 top spots, with Toyota leading at 18, Honda with eight, Nissan at four, and Hyundai/Kia and Subaru with three top spots each.
There are a number of trends in the results too, with small cars in particular scoring well--fully 20 of the 37 small cars surveyed were above-average in predicted reliability. Some of the front-runners include the Scion xD and Volkswagen Golf.
Nationally, Ford was the heavy-hitter for the U.S., though GM came through with its newer models. Twenty of the 48 cars in the survey meet average or better reliability marks. Chrysler, on the other hand, has over a third of its products at "much worse than average." Japan is strong as usual with Honda and Toyota leading the way, while Korean brands Hyundai and Kia proved their consistent improvement is still paying dividends, with only two models--the Kia Sedona and Sorento--scoring below average.
Despite Volkswagen's horrific Touareg results, European carmakers on the whole are doing well, with Mercedes-Benz the strongest. BMW's results are "mixed" and VW and Audi are best characterized as on the comeback trail, though VW's Golf and CC rank highly. Porsche's only low spot is the Boxster, which is now below average, while the Cayenne--which shares much of its platform with the disastrous Touareg--rises to average.
Consumer Reports' metric for the reliability judgment is based on a statistical analysis of the number of problems likely to occur with any given model currently on sale. That model is formed from the reports of the 1.4 million subscribers' responses.
thecarconnection.com __________________________________________________________________
Reuters DETROIT, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) has made the most progress in improving vehicle quality among major automakers, while Chrysler ranks at the bottom of the industry for reliability, according to an annual Consumer Reports survey released on Tuesday.
Asian automakers dominated the magazine's influential list of recommended vehicles, with Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) Scion ranked the top brand followed by Honda Motor Co's (7267.T) flagship brand. Toyota's flagship brand placed third.
Ford ranks as the only U.S. automaker that is competing with Asian brands with "world-class reliability," Consumer Reports said.
About 90 percent of Ford's vehicles achieved average or better reliability, the study showed. Ford's Mercury brand ranked tenth for reliability -- the only U.S. brand to make the top 10 list. The Ford brand ranked 16th and Ford's luxury Lincoln brand ranked 20th.
"Ford definitely has closed the gap," said Rik Paul of Consumer Reports. "We started seeing that a couple of years ago. We didn't know at that time if it was a fluke or if it was something they were going to be able to maintain. Last year, they were still there and this year, they are still there."
In contrast, Chrysler's three brands all slipped further in the ratings. The Jeep SUV brand ranked 30th, with Dodge just behind and the Chrysler brand dead last in the ranking.
Consumer Reports said more than a third of Chrysler models through the 2009 model year were "much worse than average." Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy on June 10 by completing the sale of most of its assets to a new company led by Italy's Fiat SpA (FIA.MI). Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who also heads Fiat, will announce a five-year business plan for turning around the No. 3 U.S. automaker on Nov. 4.
Steve Rattner, the former investment banker who headed the Obama administration's restructuring of GM and Chrysler, said last week that officials were divided about whether Chrysler could be saved, in part because Consumer Reports did not recommend any of its vehicles.
For the new report, the magazine endorsed one Chrysler vehicle, the four-wheel-drive version of the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck.
"It did well in (our) road tests and rates average in reliability," the magazine said. Many analysts say Chrysler desperately needs new vehicles to steer its faltering operations toward recovery. Chrysler's U.S. sales plunged 42 percent in September from a year ago.
Marchionne said recently he was surprised at the lack of product development done by Chrysler's previous owners, Cerberus Capital Management [CBS.UL] and Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE), in the two years before his arrival in June.
"Chrysler, well, they're not bringing out a lot of product. You have to bring out product to improve," Paul said. Chrysler was not immediately available for comment. NEW GM MODELS ENCOURAGING General Motors Co's [GM.UL] flagship Chevrolet brand, which accounts for more than 60 percent of its U.S. sales, ranked 25th on the list.
The No. 1 U.S. automaker emerged from bankruptcy in July backed by some $50 billion in U.S. taxpayer funding. GM is counting on sales gains at Chevy at a time when it is selling Saab, Hummer and winding down Pontiac and Saturn.
The magazine said that 20 of GM's 48 models have average reliability scores. The automaker has a number of "strong contenders" just released or in the pipeline, but it was too early to have reliability data on them.
"We have seen some of their newer models doing better so we do think perhaps they are on the right track," Paul said. Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS), the only major automaker to increase sales in a slumping U.S. market this year, ranked eighth, unchanged from last year.
Besides its influence with car shoppers, the annual report is used by major automakers as a proxy for their performance in improving and maintaining vehicle quality.
Consumer Reports is published by the nonprofit Consumers Union and does not accept advertising. The publication's "predicted reliability" study for new model vehicles is based on an average of consumer ratings of the same model in the recent years.
This year's report on auto reliability was based on consumer feedback on more than 1.4 million vehicles, Consumer Reports said. The reliability results will be published in the magazine's December issue, which goes on sale next week.
(Reporting by Soyoung Kim and Bernie Woodall, additional reporting by David Bailey; editing by Matthew Lewis and Andre Grenon)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Mazda and Ford are on Fire!

October is Truck month AND Mazda sure has some hot leases going on right now! We have had a few of our employee's lease a Mazda this month. The Ford Fusion has had alot of play lately, with their new Hybrid. More articles to follow on the Fusion!





Friday, October 23, 2009

What's been going on at Dahl since you last checked in?




Dancing with the La Crosse Stars, 2009!

Here is a video clip of Dancing with the La Crosse Stars, 2008. Our own Andrew and Jamie Dahl!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDavnikcJMo

Guess what? Here’s a shameless plug for this year’s “Dancing with the La Crosse Stars” benefitting the American Red Cross. The event is at Central High School this year and the date changed to Thanksgiving weekend, Sat. Nov. 28. This event is rather popular and tickets will sell out (they have already sold 200 tickets). The fundraising event pairs local “celebrities” with dance teachers to help raise money for the American Red Cross. For tickets, contact the American Red Cross at 788-1000. Since Jamie and Andrew Dahl are defending champions, they will perform an exhibition in the second set of the performance (not the same dance as last year). Such a great cause and a whole lot of fun! Do you know a couple that might be dancing this year? Anyone have pictures or feedback from last years event?

Hyundai: The newest U.S. auto power

South Korea's Hyundai Motor is now a force to be reckoned with in the battered U.S. auto market as more consumers flock to its Hyundai and Kia brands. By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer


NEW YORK: (CNNMoney.com) -- In a year of unprecedented turmoil for the U.S. auto industry, one major car maker has emerged as a winner. And that company isn't based in Detroit, Japan or Europe.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has gained significant ground against its more established rivals this year. In fact, the company, which has separate operations for its Hyundai and Kia brands in the U.S., is the only one to report sales growth this year.
U.S. sales for General Motors, Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) and Chrysler Group, as well as Japan's Toyota Motor (TM), Honda Motor (HMC) and Nissan (NSANY), are all down between 25% to 50% from a year ago. But combined U.S. sales for the Hyundai and Kia brands are up 2.6%.
As a result, the two brands have picked up 2.2 percentage points of market share during the first nine months of 2009. Hyundai and Kia now combine for 7.4% of the U.S. auto market.
That puts Hyundai Motor Group just ahead of Nissan as the sixth-largest automaker in terms of U.S. auto sales. And the Korean automaker is rapidly closing in on Chrysler, which now has just a 9.2% share of the U.S. market.
"They're definitely considered one of the major automakers today, which was definitely not the case this time last year," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends for car pricing tracker TrueCar.com.
So how has Hyundai become such a significant threat to Detroit's Big Three and the Japanese auto giants?
The right cars at the right time
Industry experts said that Hyundai has primarily been a beneficiary of the economic downturn.
High gas prices steered buyers away from the pickups and SUVs that had been a mainstay for Detroit's Big Three to more fuel efficient cars that are Hyundai's specialty. That trend accelerated thanks to this summer's popular Cash for Clunkers program, which gave buyers money to buy a new car if they traded in their old gas guzzler.
Hyundai's and Kia's combined U.S. sales leapt 30% over the course of July and August compared to a year earlier. The rest of the industry suffered a 7% decline in sales over those two months -- despite a boost from Cash for Clunkers.
The company also has been able to steal share because its vehicles typically cost less than similar models from rivals. Lower-priced vehicles obviously appealed to buyers squeezed on credit or worried about their jobs.
That has helped Hyundai steal share not just from its troubled Detroit rivals, but also from Toyota and Honda -- despite these Japanese automakers' similar focus on smaller cars.
"Fundamentally the market has come to them," said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive officer of auto industry tracker Edmunds.com.
But now that Cash for Clunkers is history and many economists are talking about an end to the recession, will Hyundai continue to gain ground? Company officials said that it will be a challenge but expressed confidence.
"We've done a great job of lifting our brand this year. We're on lists we weren't on before," said Dave Zuchowski, vice president of U.S. sales for Hyundai. "But we're going to keep our foot on the gas. We have a lot of work to do."
Zuchowski admits that Hyundai uniquely benefited from the economic downturn and the hit that the rest of the auto industry took. He compared it to the effect that the oil shocks of the 1970s and early 1980s had on helping the Japanese automakers to establish themselves with U.S. buyers.
But Hyundai also made some savvy moves to take advantage of the trends moving the market in its direction.
Increased production and more advertising = higher sales
In January, the company rolled out its Hyundai Assurance program, which allowed buyers who lost their jobs to return their cars without penalty. A month later, Hyundai added a new wrinkle to the program. The company agreed to cover three months of payments for buyers that were looking for work.
The program helped drive up awareness of the Hyundai brand. GM and Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) eventually came out with their own version in response to Hyundai's success.
Hyundai also did a better job than most of its rivals of preparing for demand from Cash for Clunkers. In the spring, as many U.S. auto plants were idled due to weak sales, Hyundai raised production at its U.S. plants from four days to five to give it adequate supplies in anticipation of the program.
0:00 /4:20GM without Saturn
The company also guaranteed its dealers they would get the up to $4,500 payments per car sold under Cash for Clunkers directly from Hyundai, rather than having them wait for reimbursement from the government.
That turned out to be a smart move. Dealers for many of Hyundai's competitors ran into a cash crunch due to slow government payments, which limited the ability of some rivals to fully reap the benefits of the program.
Hyundai has also been taking advantage of the troubles facing General Motors and Chrysler. The company has grabbed dozens of U.S. dealerships or facilities cut loose by GM and Chrysler as part of their bankruptcies.
Experts say that Hyundai may also get a lift as GM drops its Pontiac and Saturn brands in the coming months. According to research from Edmunds.com, people who've bought Pontiac or Saturn models in the past have also looked at Hyundai models before making their purchase.
Hyundai has stepped up its marketing efforts as well -- and at a time when many competitors were pulling back on how much they spend on promotions.
The company advertised during the Super Bowl for the first time ever in 2008 and did so again this year. The company also had a commercial during this year's Academy Awards. Zuchowski said Hyundai is looking for more high-profile sponsorship opportunities going forward.
What's next?
Experts almost universally praise Hyundai for the success of its fuel-efficient Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
But even as many American consumers continue to shift to smaller cars, experts say that Hyundai has the opportunity to grab even more market share if it sold more trucks.
Light trucks still account for nearly half of U.S. auto sales. Hyundai has limited crossover and minivan offerings and has less than a 5% share of the light truck market.
There have been rumors that Hyundai is planning to introduce a pickup offering in the future. Zuchowski would only say there are no immediate plans for such a truck.
The company also has only one luxury vehicle, the Hyundai Genesis. By way of comparison, most other automakers have a full lineup of cars marketed under separate luxury brands.
Some experts say that Hyundai may need to come out with its own separate luxury brand if it is going to compete effectively in that higher-profit part of the market.
"Luxury buyers buy image, and the image of Hyundai is not on the short list for most luxury buyers," said Toprak. "You're going to have a tough time selling a $50,000 Hyundai, even if the car is worth that kind of money."
Still, experts say that Hyundai and Kia have a solid group of new cars ready to hit the market in the next few years, such as the redesigned versions of Hyundai's Santa Fe crossover and Sonata sedan and Kia's new Soul and Forte small cars.
"The early signals from their product pipeline is they should be very competitive," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting for J.D. Power & Associates.
Schuster added that as long as the company continues to do what it has been doing, Hyundai should be able to keep gaining market share. And that could mean that the once little South Korean car company may become an even bigger thorn in the side of both Detroit and Japan.

Check out: www.hyundaimomentum.com and www.dahlauto.com for more information!