The numbers are staggering. Millions of cars are being recalled from what are thought of as the two most reliable car makers on the planet: Toyota and Honda. The cars that are infamous for being able to pass down from father to daughter now have a serious PR problem.
The US car makers have been crowing for a few years that their quality has improved dramatically over the last decade, but it wasn't having an effect on sales. I actually got worried that Detroit may start abandoning quality for short term profits again. What they didn't realize is that a quality reputation is not something that you can obtain for having a good year or batch of cars. It's something that you have to earn over a long period of time.
I think Detroit actually had started to earn the reputation for quality cars a couple of years ago when we purchased our last car: a Toyota Camry Hybrid, *ahem*. It was there in the back of my and my wife's mind, but we weren't ready to buy Detroit yet.
As of two years ago, Detroit started to be thought of as good cars again. But there were still too many horrifyingly ugly American cars on the road. And the interiors? Nasty, big buttoned, move back the whole front bench mentality was still in my mind (my parents owned an '88 cutlass Ciera, of the burgundy variety). We stuck with Toyota, Honda, and even Nissan. And further, we wanted to help the environment, so Toyota took the lead. With a small family, the Camry Hybrid was perfect. Roomy, quality (at the time), nice mpg's (33 city, 40 highway) and all the technology gadgets.
6 months ago, if we were to buy a new car, I actually could think American. I think part was patriotic, especially during the downturn; part was Ford not taking bailouts. But by then American cars actually started having a reputation for quality. Now, throw in that GM was putting out the Volt and Ford was putting out nice looking hybrids: well, at least they were in the conversation with Toyota and Honda.
I think these recalls could potentially be a tipping point. The basis for quality and cool cars had been created by Detroit over the last decade. But it is very difficult to unseat the champ from it's perch. Toyota was solid at #1 and I saw no reason how anyone could knock them down. However, with the them and Honda getting people to buy on the basis of quality, this could cause the perch to start swaying. NOW, more than ever, if Detroit can keep the momentum going, they will have a chanc to recover strongly as the American economy recovers. Let's all hope they continue to give me many reasons to prefer them over Japan. I'm reading about 'Honda expands airbag recall as more Toyotas probed' on Fluent News. Here is the link: http://fluentnews.com/s/23261933
The US car makers have been crowing for a few years that their quality has improved dramatically over the last decade, but it wasn't having an effect on sales. I actually got worried that Detroit may start abandoning quality for short term profits again. What they didn't realize is that a quality reputation is not something that you can obtain for having a good year or batch of cars. It's something that you have to earn over a long period of time.
I think Detroit actually had started to earn the reputation for quality cars a couple of years ago when we purchased our last car: a Toyota Camry Hybrid, *ahem*. It was there in the back of my and my wife's mind, but we weren't ready to buy Detroit yet.
As of two years ago, Detroit started to be thought of as good cars again. But there were still too many horrifyingly ugly American cars on the road. And the interiors? Nasty, big buttoned, move back the whole front bench mentality was still in my mind (my parents owned an '88 cutlass Ciera, of the burgundy variety). We stuck with Toyota, Honda, and even Nissan. And further, we wanted to help the environment, so Toyota took the lead. With a small family, the Camry Hybrid was perfect. Roomy, quality (at the time), nice mpg's (33 city, 40 highway) and all the technology gadgets.
6 months ago, if we were to buy a new car, I actually could think American. I think part was patriotic, especially during the downturn; part was Ford not taking bailouts. But by then American cars actually started having a reputation for quality. Now, throw in that GM was putting out the Volt and Ford was putting out nice looking hybrids: well, at least they were in the conversation with Toyota and Honda.
I think these recalls could potentially be a tipping point. The basis for quality and cool cars had been created by Detroit over the last decade. But it is very difficult to unseat the champ from it's perch. Toyota was solid at #1 and I saw no reason how anyone could knock them down. However, with the them and Honda getting people to buy on the basis of quality, this could cause the perch to start swaying. NOW, more than ever, if Detroit can keep the momentum going, they will have a chanc to recover strongly as the American economy recovers. Let's all hope they continue to give me many reasons to prefer them over Japan. I'm reading about 'Honda expands airbag recall as more Toyotas probed' on Fluent News. Here is the link: http://fluentnews.com/s/23261933
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