This is depressing and so frustrating. The Japanese have swept all automotive and truck categories in Consumer Reports and Autoweek. Forbes also agrees that US cars suck.
I disagree with that blanketing – There’s a few good cars that meet the metrics of excellence, but to no avail, Japanese relentless consistency has met the most important metric of all, that of perception.
They never abandoned quality, as did US companies after their brief flirtation with it in the eighties. At the end of the day, it’s the cheapest way to do business, but that day is way too long of a day for the dynamic ‘do’ American character that may always be shackled to a tactical business culture that must necessarily be overwhelmed by strategic cultures.
Been there, done that, with a company that spent $1.5B on quality consulting, but then threw more billions at another magic bullet, because quality wasn’t working from the bottom up, because its steps processed as waste to a ‘do’ culture.
(Sigh). Oh well.
Ed
99 Beetle. 03?/04? Volvo. No pickup – I do stuff, but don’t care bout wearin the identity – When I need a truck, I just rent, same w/landyachts – I don’t like to pay through the nose for crap that just lays around 99% of the time just suckin money and uglyin up the grounds. Plan to chop an airboxer VW camper, synergy drive, nothing fancy, just chopped, camping outfitted, iPod-Sat-DVD.
