Apr 28th, 2010 by Ross Edwards
Americans are impressed with the vehicles that domestic carmakers are building. According to a poll by the Associated Press, 38 percent of Americans say that domestic cars are the best available, while just 33 percent said that Asian cars are superior. That’s not a huge margin, but it is a huge improvement over past results for the Big Three. In 2006, when asked the same question, 46 percent of those polled preferred Asian cars and just 29 percent said that American cars were the best.
The dramatic shift is partly due to Toyota‘s recent quality issues. The poll was taken in March, when Toyota was making headlines almost every day for its massive recalls and potentially unsafe cars. Just 15 percent of the people polled said Toyota is building the best cars this year, compared to 25 percent in 2006.
The shift in public opinion isn’t just due to Toyota’s fall from grace. Ford and GM have improved their model lineups considerably over the last few years. Public perception of Ford has gotten a lot better since the 2006 poll. That’s party because Ford was the only U.S. automaker not to declare bankruptcy and also due to the company’s revived lineup. Only 9 percent said Ford built the best cars in 2006. That number doubled to 18 percent in this year’s poll.
Just 3 percent of those polled said they preferred Chrysler vehicles.
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