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This
page has been updated to include the data that became available in 2005.
Percentranks:
A
model's Reliability Percentrank is a ranking of that model's Reliability Score
relative to all other Reliability Scores for the given model year and age range.
The percentrank was computed using the Percentrank function of Microsoft's Excel
2002 and, as the first part of the compound word percentrank suggests, is
a value between 0.00 and 1.00. If a model's Reliability Percentrank is near
0.00, it has a very low Reliability Score, and if a Percentrank is near 1.00, it
has a high Reliability Score. For a more detailed explanation of Reliability
Percentranks and Reliability Scores, click
here to be taken to the Methodology page.
The Reliability Percentranks and Percentrank Averages for 1988 to
1997 are
based on the performance of approximately 6 to 8 year old vehicles; those for
1998, on the performance of approximately 5 to 7 year old vehicles; those
for 1999, on the performance of approximately 4 to 6 year old vehicles;
those for 2000, on the performance of approximately 3 to 5 year old
vehicles; those for 2001, on the performance of approximately 2 to 4 year
old vehicles; those for 2002, on the performance of approximately 2 to 3
year old vehicles.
Benchmarks:
Site manager's conjecture is that if a person cares little about
what he or she drives, he or she still likely would not want to drive anything
worse, or easily noticeably worse, than a typical Big Three vehicle. This is why
Big Three Reliability Percentrank Averages are used to benchmark the bottom. At the other end, site
manager's conjecture is that if a person has an eye for quality, he or she likely
would not want to own a vehicle that is much, if any, less than a typical
Reliable Two (Toyota-Honda) vehicle. This is why Reliable Two Reliability Percentrank
Averages are used to
benchmark the top.
Extrapolations: The extrapolations of Buick Reliability
Percentrank averages, Buick LeSabre
Reliability Percentranks, and Buick Park Avenue Reliability Percentranks are
provided to give the visitor an idea as to the relative reliability of the Buick
line and the Buick LeSabre and Park Avenue models for model years
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. The extrapolations are linear regressions of
degree one and are based on vehicular ages that range from 2-3 years to 6-8 years, as noted
above. If the visitor plans to purchase a new Buick vehicle and own it
for less than 3 years, the projections may have less applicability. Note
that of late questions regarding the viability of GM and its lines have arisen;
should GM disappear from the automotive world, the extrapolations are, of
course, without meaning.
Advisories:
1.
This
site gives a Reliability Percentrank of .6 or below a Reliability Grade of F,
per the high standards, and a Reliability Percentrank of .76 or below a
Reliability Grade of F, per the exacting standards.
To view the table giving the Reliability Grades - High Standards for the
Buick line, click here.
2.
Nothing
on this web page should be viewed as suggesting that site manager considers a
model-year with a Reliability Percentrank below .9, or a model with a 5-year
or 10-year Reliability Percentrank average below .9, to be acceptable for
purchase or lease.
3.
Some
models appearing in the Reliability Percentranks table for the Buick Line may
not have a separate chart above.
To
view the table giving the Reliability Percentranks for the Buick line,
click here.
4.
Buick
is a division of General Motors Corporation.
For those disposed to trawl trenches or troll at depths, the
following chart of Big Three Reliability Percentrank averages and extrapolations is provided.
For reference, the Reliability Percentrank averages, and an extrapolation
thereof, for Toyota Motor Corporation are included.
The extrapolations are linear regressions of degree one.
The above chart shows (1) a quite steady decline in the Reliability Percentrank
average of Chrysler through 1994, followed by a rather steady, but modest recovery, (2)
a quite steady decline in the Reliability Percentrank average of General Motors
Corporation through 1997, followed by a very modest recovery, and (3) a very
steady rise in the Reliability Percentrank average of Ford Motor Company from
1990 through
1997, followed by a rather steady decline toward the averages of Chrysler and
GM. The more recent decline by Ford suggests that its lofty extrapolation is
highly questionable. (See the
Bottom Line on Auto Reliability.)
Likely a better
guide to the reliability of a typical product for any of the Big Three comes
from an extrapolation of the Reliability Percentrank averages for the Big Three
as a group. The following chart provides this. Again, the extrapolation of the
Reliability Percentrank averages for Toyota Motor Corporation provides
reference.
Disclaimer:
Site manager views the purchase of any Big-Three-engineered vehicle as ill-advised.
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Charts of 2008 Reliability Predictions |
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(Each chart is linked to a news article providing additional
information.) |
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Links to Articles on Consumer Reports' 2008 Reliability
Ratings for Model Years 1998 through 2007 |
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(Each chart is linked to a news article providing additional
information.) |
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2007 Charts of GM's Reliability Grades for Model Years
1999-2002 |
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(Each chart is linked to a news article providing additional
information.) |
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Some Additional
Charts and Tables Pertaining to Reliability, Durability and Other Quality
Measures |
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(Each chart is linked to a news article providing additional
information.) |
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Table I: Number and Percentage
of Entries in CR's 2008 List of the Worst
of the Worst, by Manufacturer |
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Auto Manufacturer |
Number of Entries |
Percent of Entires |
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General Motors Corporation |
18 |
58.1% |
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Volkswagen AG |
4 |
12.9% |
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Chrysler LLC |
3 |
9.7% |
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Nissan Motor
Company |
2 |
6.5% |
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Ford Motor Company |
2* |
6.5% |
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Daimler AG
(Mercedes-Benz) |
1 |
3.2% |
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Kia Motors
Corporation |
1 |
3.2% |
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All Others |
0 |
0% |
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*
One is from Ford's North American group and one is from its Land Rover division.
Ford hopes to dispose of the Land Rover division shortly. |
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Source: "Worst of the Worst," Consumer Reports,
April 2008, p. 85 |
More Charts and Tables appear below the list of
news articles.
Some Buick-related news articles:
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March 2008: GM's CEO Gets Pay Raise to $2.2 Million, But Doesn't Such a Talented Fellow Deserve $22 Million? Or $220 Million? |
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March 2008: Into the Depths: General Motors Obtains Record Share of Consumer Reports' 'Worst of the Worst' |
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February 2008: The January 2008 U.S. Automobile Sales Statistics: As Hyundai Clobbers GM in Quality, GM Clobbers Hyundai in Sales; Overall, the U.S. Consumer Trek to Quality and Out of Big Three Products Slows to the Leisurely Stroll of the Mid-1990s |
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December 2007: General Motors Dominates Least Satisfying Auto List |
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December 2007: In the
Race to Quality and Out of GM Products, Aussies Hold Lead, Mexicans Closing Fast, Americans May Finish Last |
 November 2007: The Best and Worst 2008 Automobiles by CR's Reliability-Verdict History: Toyota Models Dominate Best and Account for All Perfect Reliability-Verdict Histories of 6 or More Years; GM Models Dominate Worst |
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October 2007: August U.S. Safety Recalls by Volkswagen (2), General Motors (Sort of a Typical 4), BMW (1), Ford (a Very Big and Hazardous 1), Mazda (1), and Honda (1) |
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August 2007: Estimating Model-Year-2008 Reliability: How High Will Toyota's Rise and How Low Will the Big Three's Tumble? |
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August 2007: The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 18 of 19 Best, GM - 24 of 61 Worst |
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July 2007: The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 4-to-6 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 17 of 17 Best, GM - 24 of 56 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 13 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age? |
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July 2007: The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 5-to-7 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 12 of 13 Best, GM - 19 of 48 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 21 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age? |
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July 2007: The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 6-to-8 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 13 of 13 Best, GM - 18 of 43 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 19 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age? |
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July 2007:
In the U.S. in June 2007, Reliable Two Sales Set Records;
Nissan and Mazda Sales Jump; Ford and Chrysler Sales Drop; GM
Sales Plunge |
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July 2007: The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 7-to-9 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 11 of 12 Best, GM - 22 of 41 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 30 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age? |
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June 2007: The J.D. Power Surveys: Gleaning Values from Things That May Be Worth, Individually, Something Close to Nothing: GM in the Dumps Again |
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May 2007: NHTSA Investigates ... - GM (3), Land Rover (1) |
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May 2007:
In 2007, Toyota and Honda
Dominate Most
Reliable List with 10 of 11 Best, GM Dominates Least Reliable List
with 7 of 10 Worst |
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May 2007: Toyota Reliability Drops Some, But Toyota-GM Gap Remains Near Record |
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April 2007: The Best Models by CR's 2007 History of Reliability Verdicts: The Reliable Two Shine; Big Three Score Zip |
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April 2007:
Toyota and Honda Dominate CR's 2007 Top Picks and Alternates; Nissan's Infiniti Division Accounts for CR's Upscale and Luxury Top Picks; Big Three Score Zip |
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April 2007:
As the Earth Warms, Senator Boxer Pushes Hard for CO2 Regs and GM's Vice Chairman Robert Lutz Fiddles a Refrain |
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April 2007:
By Yet Another Quality Measure, Toyota and Honda Are Best and GM and DaimlerChrysler - Worst: The UCS 2007 Environmental Report |
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March 2007:
GM Expands Lead on CR's Used-Cars-to-Avoid List, a Tad |
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February 2007:
NHTSA Gives GM's Buick LaCrosse One Star (Out of Five) for Side Impact; Center for Auto Safety Calls for Investigation of GM's Pontiac GTO for Tire Blowouts |
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February 2007:
Does GM Mean Junk of the 7th Level of Abomination? |
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January 2007:
Big Three Dominate 2006 and Cumulative U.S. Safety Recalls |
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January 2007:
In the U.S. in 2006, Consumers Quicken Their Pace to Quality: Toyota Sales Soar and Honda Sales Rise as Big Three Sales Plunge |
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December 2006:
Filling the Quota at the Consumer's Expense? How CR's 1998 GM Recommendations Fared |
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November 2006:
True Value Estimates of GM's 2007 Vehicles |
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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 |
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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 |
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November 2006:
By CR's Predicted Short-Term Reliability for Model Year 2007, Toyota and Honda Dominate Best and GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler Dominate Worst, per Detroit News Table |
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October 2006:
U.S. Consumer Shift to Quality Outpaces Big Three Price and Production Cuts; Big 3 Inventories Get Big, But How Big? Three for One, Anyone? |
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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? |
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September 2006:
Race to Bankruptcy Tightens: Moody's and S&P Cut Ford's Debt, But GM Retains Razor-Thin Lead |
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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 |
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September 2006:
Reliability Updates: Best and Worst Cars and Trucks Tables: A Chart Summary |
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August 2006:
Reliability Updates: For Model Year 2002, Toyota Accounts for 11 of 16 Best, GM - 16 of 53 Worst |
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August 2006:
For 2-to-3-Year-Old Model-Year-2003 Vehicles, Toyota Garners 8 of Top 9 and 9 of Top 14, General Motors Accounts for 18 of Bottom 46 |
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August 2006:
Moody's Cuts Ford Debt Two Notches Deeper into Junk: Which of the Big Two Will Win the Race to Bankruptcy? |
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August 2006:
In the U.S. in July 2006, Toyota Sales Surge to New Monthly Record and Past Ford's; Legendary Corolla Sales Soar Again; Honda Sales Jump Past Previous July Record; Big Three Sales Remain In or Near Friction-Free Free Fall, But GM's Prospect of Multiple Bankruptcy Filings Dims Again |
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July 2006:
Toyota and Honda Dominate CR's Ten Best Family Sedans with Above Average Predicted Reliability; Big Three Score Zip |
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July 2006:
In the U.S. in June 2006, Toyota Sales Surge to Set a New June Record; Legendary Corolla Sales Soar; Honda Sales Squeak Past Previous June Record; Big Three Sales Remain In or Near Friction-Free Free Fall, But GM's Prospect of Multiple Bankruptcy Filings Dims |
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June 2006:
S&P Cuts Ford Debt Deeper into Junk: Which of the Big Two Will Win the Race to Bankruptcy? |
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June 2006:
Moody's and S&P Cut GM Creditworthiness Deeper into Junk |
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June 2006:
Fitch Cuts Ford Debt Deeper into Junk, but GM Retains Solid Lead in Race to Bankruptcy |
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June 2006:
Coolant Gives GM Heat |
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June 2006:
Toyota and Honda Dominate CR's 2006 Higher-Reliability, Higher-Owner-Satisfaction Quick Picks; Big Three Score Zip |
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May 2006:
In Crash Tests of Minivans with Side Airbags, Hyundai Scores Best and GM Scores Worst |
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May 2006:
Toyota and Honda Account for 75% of CR's Top Picks, Alternatives, and Runners-up; Subaru and Nissan Account for Balance; Big Three Score Zip |
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May 2006:
Plaintiffs in Lawsuit Say GM Flunked a Recall |
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May 2006:
U.S. Safety Recalls by General Motors (2), Ford (3), Chrysler (4), Mazda (1), Nissan (3), and Toyota (1) |
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April 2006:
In 2006, Toyota and Honda Rule Most Reliable List with 10 of 10 Best, GM Dominates Least Reliable List with 6 of 10 Worst: Reliability Gap Grows |
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April 2006:
If GM Is Really Worth a -$43 Billion, Should Its Executives Be Executed? |
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April 2006:
In the U.S. in March 2006, Consumers Continue Their March to Quality: Reliable Two Sales Set New March Records; GM Sales Plunge; Ford Sales Drop |
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March 2006:
Moody's Cuts GM Creditworthiness Another Notch Deeper into Junk |
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March 2006:
Toyota Reliability Takes Another Leap Up; Honda's Too; Toyota-GM Reliability Gap Sets Another Record: Will GM Bottom? |
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March 2006:
GM Expands Lead in Race to Bankruptcy: Fitch Cuts GM's Credit a Notch Deeper into Junk, Puts Post-Filing Bond Recovery at 30% to 50% |
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March 2006:
In the U.S. in February 2006, Reliable Two Sales Set New February Sales Records; GM's Market Share Drops Another Notch and Ford's Inches Up a Notch; Toyota RAV4 Sales Surge Again |
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February 2006:
GM Strengthens Lead in Race to Bankruptcy: Moody's Cuts GM's Credit a Notch Deeper in Junk |
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February 2006:
General Motors and DaimlerChrysler Again Dominate CR's Used-Cars-to-Avoid List |
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February 2006:
Into the Pits and Down and Under Charges the General; General Motors Sets Record Share of CR's Much-Worse-Than-Average |
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February 2006:
In the U.S. in January 2006, Reliable Two Sales Soar to Set New January Sales Records; GM and Ford Dodge Plunge with Huge, Premature Fleet Sales, but GM's Market Share Still Drops a Notch; Toyota RAV4 Overtakes Honda CR-V with Dramatic Sales Surge |
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January 2006:
U.S. President Bush Says GM and Ford Must Make a Relevant Product, But Can They and Should They Try? |
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January 2006:
Toyota Overwhelmingly Dominates Another Measure of Durability |
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January 2006:
Ford Cuts GM Lead in Race to Insolvency: Which Big Three Will Go Bust First? |
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January 2006:
In 2005, U.S. Consumer Shift to Quality Continues at Quickened Pace, But GM and Ford Avoid Disastrous Market Share Plunges with Big Discounts and Huge Financial Losses: Is a Big Three Product Worth a Dime? |
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January 2006:
In December 2005, U.S. Consumer Shift to Quality Races On: Toyota Sets New December Sales Record, GM and Ford Sales Plunge |
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December 2005:
MPR's Senior Economics and Business Editor Predicts GM Bankruptcy in 2006 |
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December 2005:
Ford's Debt Cut to Junk by Fitch, but GM Retains Big Lead in Race to Bankruptcy |
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December 2005:
Relentless U.S. Consumer Shift to Quality Prompts S&P to Cut GM Debt Deeper into Junk |
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December 2005:
By CR's Predicted Short-Term Reliability for Model Year 2006, Toyota and Honda Dominate Best, GM and Ford Dominate Worst |
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November 2005:
Fitch Cuts GM Debt Deeper into Junk |
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November 2005:
Moody's Cuts GM Debt Deeper into Junk |
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October 2005:
Parts Division Jettisoned by GM Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; S&P Cuts GM's Debt Deeper into Junk |
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October 2005:
In the U.S. in September 2005, Quality Four Sales March On, GM and Ford Sales Plunge |
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September 2005:
Fitch Cuts GM Debt Deeper into Junk |
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September 2005:
2005 Reliability Updates: Big Three Appear Hopelessly Stuck in Quality Quagmire; Selling Dirt Cheap May Be Best Route to Survival |
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September 2005:
Auto on Info Site Manager's Conclusion: GM Likely to Dominate Worst-Cars-and-Trucks Tables for Years to Come |
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August 2005:
Speediest Dilapidations: General Motors Accounts for 16 of the 20 Worst |
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August 2005:
Former Parts Division GM Dumped on Shareholders Has Rating Slashed: S&P Cuts Delphi's Debt Deep into Junk |
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July 2005:
Mini-Survey Points to Toyota Dominance in Overall Quality and Customer Satisfaction |
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July 2005:
Did GM's Marketing Department Make Out Big Three Consumers Unmitigated Nincompoops? |
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May 2005:
In NHTSA Car Crash Tests, Lowest Score Goes to Chevrolet Cobalt, Lowest Two Scores to Buick LaCrosse, Perfect Scores to Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Two Volvos |
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May 2005:
Does 'GM' Mean 'Junk'? |
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October 2004:
Is GM King of Junk? |
The visitor may find the following tables and charts useful as well.
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Cumulative Number of Auto on Info
Auto Manufacturer Awards for Motor
Vehicle Quality |
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Cumulative Number of First Place Positions in Auto on Info's
Auto
Manufacturer Awards for Motor Vehicle Quality |
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Auto Manufacturer |
Awards |
Auto Manufacturer |
First Place Positions |
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Toyota |
42 |
Toyota |
39 |
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Honda |
34 |
Honda |
5 |
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Mercedes-Benz |
2 |
Mercedes-Benz |
0 |
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Nissan |
1 |
Nissan |
0 |
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BMW |
1 |
BMW |
0 |
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Volvo |
1 |
Volvo |
0 |
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General Motors |
0 |
General Motors |
0 |
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Ford |
0 |
Ford |
0 |
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Chrysler |
0 |
Chrysler |
0 |
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This table is current as of 14
August 2007. |
This table is current as of 14
August 2007. |
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Supporting Auto on Info
