Bookmarking Auto on Info pages Supporting Auto on Info Home or Site Layout or Site Index or Quick Jumps or Search Engine Directory or The MartAuto News, Analysis and Editorial Does GM Mean Junk of the 7^th Level of Abomination?

Links to Amazon.com Visitor support makes this site possible. Please shop often via Auto on Info. Thank you. Men's Fine Tie Clips and Ties Forzieri tie clips Men's Ties by Villa Bolgheri Men's Ties by Roberto Cavalli Men's Ties by Versace To view more men's ties, icons, and search phrases, click here. Men's Watches Men's Watches by Tag Heuer Men's Watches by Cartier Men's Watches by Omega To view more men's watches, icons, and search phrases, click here. Fine Women's Watches Women's Watches by Cartier Women's Watches by Omega Women's Watches by Baume & Mercier To view more fine women's watches, icons, and search phrases, click here. Other On-Site Pages with links to Amazon.com The Mart Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Printers, and Accessories 35mm Cameras and Accessories Camcorders Camera Bags Cutlery Block Sets and Cheese Sets Espresso Machines and Coffee Makers Small Kitchen Appliances Cookware Dinnerware Flatware Wine Glasses and Decanters Wine Cellars The Keys The Strings The Wind Instruments Hiking and Backpacking Apparel Trekking Equipage Tents and Accessories Sleeping Bags, Pads, Mats, and Cots Stuff Sacks, Dry Duffels, and Dry Boxes Water Sports and Exploration Fine Stories on DVD War Stories on DVD Human Society and Psychology DVDs Dressing Up for the Trip Designer Jewelry Jewelry by Leo DeVroomen Earrings Handbags / Purses Women's Watches Men's Watches Business Totes, Business Briefs, and Briefcases Wallets for Men and Women

Auto on Info  February 2007 Does GM Mean Junk of the 7th Level of Abomination? By James B. Bleeker Maybe. At least a Harris Interactive Survey points in this direction. Annually, Harris Interactive conducts a two-phase U.S. corporate reputation survey. The first phase asks respondents to name two companies with the best reputation and two companies with the worst reputation. Each time a company is mentioned in either category, it receives a point. From the list of companies obtained, the 60 companies with the highest number of points are chosen for the second phase. The second phase asks a second set of respondents to rate one or two companies on 20 attributes in six key dimensions, including products and services, vision and leadership, emotional appeal, financial performance, and workplace environment. From the responses, a Reputation Quotient is assembled. The Results In 2006, General Motors Corporation (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .32) received a rank of 57, fourth place from the bottom. Close were Ford Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 RPA of .48) with a rank of 55, sixth place from the bottom, and DaimlerChrysler AG (Chrysler Group has a 1998-2002 RPA of .40) with a rank of 49, twelfth place from the bottom. Some charts and tables that suggest that GM truly deserves this ignominious evaluation are given below. Table I: Number and Percentage of Entries in CR's 2006 Much-Worse-Than-Average List, by Manufacturer Auto Manufacturer Number of Entries Percent of Entries General Motors Corporation 17 50.0% Ford Motor Company 6* 17.6% DaimlerChrysler AG 4** 11.8% Volkswagen AG 4 11.8% BMW AG 2 5.9% Kia Motors Corporation 1 2.9% All Others 0 0% * Two are from Ford's North American group, two are from the Jaguar division, one is from the Land Rover division, and one is from the Volvo division. ** Two are from DaimlerChrysler's North American Chrysler group and two are from the Mercedes-Benz division. Source: "CR Bad Bets: Be Especially Careful," Consumer Reports Cars: Used Car Buying Guide 2006, p. 26 Moody's Ratings of General Motors Corporation's Unsecured Long-Term Debt Investment Grade Ratings                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Baa1                                     Baa2                                     Baa3                                     Junk Grade Ratings Ba1                                     Ba2                                      Ba3                                     B1                                     B2                                     B3                                     Caa1                                     Caa2                                     Caa3                                       01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 01 02 03 04 05 06   2005 2006 At the other end of the spectrum were the Reliable Two. Toyota Motor Corporation (with a 1998-2002 RPA of .90) obtained a rank of 9, up 2 places from the 2005 results, and Honda Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 RPA of .88) obtained a rank of 14, also up 2 places from the 2005 results. In-between was Amazon.com, Inc., with a rank of 11. Some charts that suggest that Toyota and Honda well deserve such high repute are given below.   Source of corporate reputation rankings: www.harrisinteractive.com   Related Web Pages True Value Estimates of 2007 Big 3 Vehicles Roster of 300,000+ Mile Vehicles Auto Durability Information Page 8 Auto Durability Information Page 7 Auto Durability Information Page 6 Related News Articles May 2005: Does 'GM' Mean 'Junk'? October 2004: Is GM King of Junk? December 2006: Filling the Quota at the Consumer's Expense? How CR's 1998 GM Recommendations Fared November 2006: True Value Estimates of GM's 2007 Vehicles November 2006: The 2006 Updates: Honda Age-Equivalent Estimates: Estimates of When a Typical 1998 Model of Honda Motor Company Will Be as Troublesome as Typical 1998 Models of General Motors Corporation and Its Several Marques Were Circa 3 Years, 4 Years, ..., and 7 Years of Age November 2006: The 2006 Updates: Toyota Age-Equivalent Estimates: Estimates of When a Typical 1998 Model of Toyota Motor Corporation Will Be as Troublesome as Typical 1998 Models of General Motors Corporation and Its Several Marques Were Circa 3 Years, 4 Years, ..., and 7 Years of Age October 2006: The 2006 Updates: Toyota and Honda Account for 4 of 5 Most Durable Sport-Utility Vehicles; General Motors - 7 of 10 Worst: Will a Typical 1998 Toyota SUV Be More Trouble Free at 21 Years of Age Than a Typical 1998 GM SUV at 3? October 2006: The 2006 Updates: Toyota Tops in Pickup Reliability and Durability: Just How Bad, or Disastrous, Are GM Pickups? October 2006: The 2006 Updates: Toyota and Honda Account for 4 Most Durable Vehicle Lines; General Motors - 4 of 10 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota or Honda 1998 Model Be More Trouble Free at 20 Years of Age Than a Typical 1998 GM Model at 3? September 2006: Toyota and Honda Account for Two Best Minivans; General Motors Accounts for 5 of 8 Worst September 2006: Reliability Updates: Toyota and Honda Still Tops, But Lose Luster; General Motors Still Worst of Major Auto Manufacturers; Hyundai Clobbers GM Yet Again September 2006: Reliability Updates: Best and Worst Cars and Trucks Tables: A Chart Summary August 2006: Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 6-to-8 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 7 of 10 Best, GM - 17 of 36 Worst August 2006: Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 5-to-7 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 9 of 13 Best, GM - 17 of 42 Worst August 2006: Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 4-to-6 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 8 of 14 Best, GM - 19 of 47 Worst August 2006: Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 13 of 15 Best, GM - 17 of 47 Worst August 2006: Reliability Updates: For Model Year 2002, Toyota Accounts for 11 of 16 Best, GM - 16 of 53 Worst Related Mini-Surveys A Toyota Owner Survey with Enquiries into Reliability Importance A Honda Owner Survey with Enquiries into Reliability Importance A Toyota Owner Satisfaction Poll with Enquiries into Toyota Durability A Lexus Owner Satisfaction Poll with Enquiries into Lexus Durability An Infiniti Owner Satisfaction Poll with Enquiries into Infiniti Durability The True Value of a Big Three Big Three Bin Readiness General Motors Travails and Prospects Is the Ownership of a General Motors Vehicle a Useful Index of 21st-Century Cognitive Uselessness? The following poll permits the reader to express his assessment on General Motors Corporation.     Poll on GM How big an embarrassment do you think General Motors Corporation is? U.S.'s biggest Top 5, but not number 1 Top 10, but not within top 5 Top 25, but not within top 10 Not within top 25   To view responses to the above poll, click here.

Links to Amazon.com Musical Instruments Karl Willhelm violins Schiller cellos To view more string instruments, icons, and search phrases, click here. Wallets for Men and Women Robe di Firenze wallets Jos. A. Bank wallets R.G. House of Florence wallets Rolf’s wallets Columbia Sportswear wallets To view more wallets, icons, and search phrases, click here. Fine Women's Perfumes L'air du Temps by Nina Ricci for women Must II de Cartier by Cartier for women Allure by Chanel for women To view more fine women's perfumes, icons, and search phrases, click here. Handbags Caterina Lucchi handbags Tocca handbags Ellington handbags To view more fine handbags, icons, and search phrases, click here. Toiletry Bags Bric's toiletry bags Bosca toiletry bags Eagle Creek toiletry bags To view more toiletry bags, icons, and search phrases, click here. 22-Inch Bags Hartmann 22-inch Luxe mobile travelers To view more 22-inch bags, icons, and search phrases, click here. Samsonite Bags Samsonite Oyster FLites To view more bags and series by Samsonite, icons, and search phrases, click here. Business Totes, Business Briefs, and Briefcases for Men and Women L.A.P.A. briefcases Hartmann briefcases Pratesi briefcases To view more business totes, business briefs, and briefcases, icons, and search phrases, click here. Espresso Machines and Coffee Makers Melitta Coffee Makers To view more espresso machines and coffee makers, icons, and search phrases, click here. History Lit The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story (2006) by Stephen Oppenheimer Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project (2006) by Spencer Wells The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 (2001) by Brian M. Fagan To view more fine literature, click here