Another trend is the poor performance of most European brands. Amazingly only Porsche made the top 10 in the nameplate
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| Porsche was the only European brand that made it into the top 10 in the nameplate study. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America) |
study, with BMW and Saab managing 13th and 14th. The rest of the Euros are well below the industry average, starting with Audi (22nd), Jaguar (25th), Mercedes-Benz (28th), Volvo (30th), Volkswagen (33rd), and Land Rover in the final 37th position out of 37 nameplates - or in other words, dead last. Not a single European nameplate achieved a top rating in its segment. Even more astounding, out of 17 categories and 51 top 3 winners only 2 European vehicles made the list. And to add insult to injury, the Mercedes-Benz SLK and Porsche Boxster are low volume niche models fighting in out in the Premium Sports Car segment. Can you name a domestic premium sports car made in 2001 that might be able to put up a reasonable fight? OK, the Corvette. But that's about it. The winner of the Premium Sports Car category, however, is the Honda S2000, another example of Japanese dominance when it comes to dependability.
Similar results were experienced in the Sporty Car category, with the Toyota MR2 Spyder taking top honors, followed by the Mazda MX5 Miata and Honda Prelude, the latter now discontinued.
But most of us don't live in the single, no kids, but lot of disposable income world. Those entering the car market tend
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| Third place in the Compact Car category is the hybrid-electric Honda Insight, the only HEV to win an award for reliability. (Photo: Honda Canada) |
to shop for more modest transportation, a segment of the population that demands dependable day-in and day-out service. Once again the Japanese walk away with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Compact Car class, but with a bit of a twist. While Toyota once again takes the highest ranking with its venerable Corolla, the car that manages a repeat performance in 2nd is a version of the Corolla with a Chevy bowtie on the grille and Prizm nametag on the rear decklid. The Prizm, built in the Toyota/GM joint venture NUMMI plant in Southern California, is no longer available unfortunately, but at least it has been replaced by the equally impressive Pontiac Vibe crossover wagon, that shares architecture with the Toyota Matrix. In 3rd place in the Compact Car category is the Honda Insight, a very low volume 2-seat HEV (hybrid-electric), the only of its type to win an award for reliability. The Insight replaces the Civic that held this place last year.
