Best Cars Sport Modification

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While many consumers may harbor hope that the quality of an automobile manufacturer's product may change, or has changed, either their manufacturer's quality may improve or has improved or a competitor's quality may worsen or has worsened, the data suggest that more significant improvement may require decades of effort, but a significant decline may occur more speedily.

First, an examination of some of the changes in car manufacturer Reliability Percentrank Averages from 1988 to 1998 yields the following:

BMW AG: 0.43 (in 1998) minus 0.85 (in 1988) equals a change of -0.42
Chrysler Group: 0.32 - 0.32 = 0.00
Ford Motor Company: 0.51 - 0.33 = +0.18
General Motors Corporation: 0.30 - 0.44 = -0.14
Honda Motor Company: 0.92 - 0.91 = +0.01
Mazda Motor Corporation: 0.67 - 0.92 = -0.25
Mercedes-Benz: 0.43 - 0.87 = -0.44
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 0.57 - 0.81 = -0.24
Nissan Motor Company: 0.74 - 0.87 = -0.13
Subaru division of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.: 0.80 - 0.72 = +0.08
Toyota Motor Corporation: 0.90 - 0.92 = -0.02
Volkswagen AG: 0.13 - 0.35 = -0.24

From this list, the greatest improvement in car manufacturer quality standing was achieved by Ford Motor Company, with a rather modest gain of +0.18 percentrank points, and that four manufacturers suffered declines exceeding this modest gain, with one suffering a decline substantially exceeding Ford's gain.

Second, an examination of the changes in car manufacturer percent shares of Consumer Reports' annual Used-Cars-to-Avoid lists from 1992 to 2010 yields the following:

BMW AG: 6% (in 2010) minus 0% (in 1992) equals a change of 6%
Chrysler Group: 18% - 25% = -7%
Ford Motor Company: 10% - 23% = -13%
General Motors Corporation: 41% - 43% = -2%
Honda Motor Company: 0% - 0% = 0%
Mazda Motor Corporation: 1% - 3% = -2%
Mercedes-Benz: 3% - 0% = 3%
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 0% - 0% = 0%
Nissan Motor Company: 3% - 0% = 3%
Subaru division of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.: 0% - 1% = -1%
Toyota Motor Corporation: 1% - 0% = 1%
Volkswagen AG: 11% - 2% = 9%

From this list, Ford Motor Company's quality improvement (reduction in its share of CR's worst) exceeds Volkswagen AG's quality decline (increase in its share of CR's worst).

Third, an examination of the change in each car manufacturer's 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average from model years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 to model years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 yields the following:

BMW AG: 1.39 (for 2006 to 2009) minus 1.65 (for 2000 to 2003) equals a change of -0.26
Chrysler Group: 0.99 - 1.29 = -0.30
Ford Motor Company: 2.21 - 2.01 = +0.20
General Motors Corporation: 1.25 - 1.35 = -0.10
Honda Motor Company: 3.47 - 3.27 = +0.20
Mazda Motor Corporation: 2.47 - 2.68 = -0.21
Mercedes-Benz: 1.60 - 2.39 = -0.79
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 3.00 - 2.25 = +0.75
Nissan Motor Company: 2.43 - 2.61 = -0.18
Subaru division of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.: 2.92 - 2.10 = +0.82
Toyota Motor Corporation: 3.34 - 3.72 = -0.38
Volkswagen AG: 1.85 - 1.06 = +0.79

By this list, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Mitsubishi have shown the greatest improvement; however, Subaru's Auto Reliability Grade for the most recent model years is a B (exactly the same as its overall 2010 average and likely what it would have been in 1988), Mitsubishi's is a B (also exactly the same as its overall 2010 average and likely what it would have been in 1988), and Volkswagen's is a C (versus an overall 2010 average of a D).

Also by this list, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and BMW suffered the greatest decline. Toyota's reliability remains strong, with an Auto Reliability Grade of a very strong B even for the most recent model years. However, BMW's grade for the most recent model years (2006 to 2009) is a D and Mercedes' is a C, both having declined rather significantly from 1988, when they would likely have both been Bs.

Most telling of the time and effort required to improve quality are Ford's improvements. Ford has shown gains in all three of the above reliability measures and its rise in quality is noticeable as early as 1991; nonetheless, its 2010 Auto Reliability GPA for the most recent model years (2006 to 2009) is a very modest 2.21, a C by letter grade. This suggests that it may be decades more before Ford Motor Company will match the reliability of Honda Motor Company (with a 2010 overall GPA of 3.35) or Toyota Motor Corporation (with a 2010 overall GPA of 3.49) and many decades more before the remaining two of the Detroit Three will match the reliability of the automotive industry's leaders.