(Honda)
Honda, Ford lead in auto quality survey
Honda and Ford took the top spots in the quality category of Consumer Reports' 2011 Car Brand Perception Survey, a look at how consumers view automakers. Honda ranked first in the survey, with 25 percent of car owners participating in the survey naming it as the manufacturer with the best quality. Ford was second, at 23 percent, and Toyota finished third at 19 percent, a drop of 11 percentage points for the former leader. Chevrolet, at 16 percent, and Mercedes-Benz, at 15 percent, rounded out the top five.
As the most important factors in car-buying decisions, 65 percent of consumers ranked safety at the top, followed by quality, at 57 percent, and value, 51 percent.
In the safety category, Volvo led, garnering 70 percent of the responses. It had a giant 50-point advantage over second-place Ford at 20 percent. Honda and Subaru were both at 17 percent and Mercedes-Benz was fifth, with 14 percent.
For value, Ford, at 25 percent, squeaked by Honda, which had 24 percent, and Toyota, with 23 percent, as the brand most mentioned by consumers. Hyundai, with 17 percent, and Chevrolet, at 15 percent, rounded out the value rankings.
--The Associated Press
(NWautos archive)
US seat belt use continues to rise
Nearly six in seven U.S. adults now wear seat belts, an increase in driver safety that health officials say has helped cut motor vehicle deaths and injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported. About 85 percent of adults said they wear seat belts in a 2008 survey, up from under 81 percent in 2002. Only 11 percent wore them in 1982, before the first state law requiring seat belt use. The CDC also reported a decline of more than 15 percent in non-fatal vehicle crash injuries from 2001 to 2009.
--The Associated Press
(The Associated Press)
Porsche racing concept nabs two awards in Detroit
The Porsche 918 RSR, a racecar concept based off the 918 Spyder, was named Best in Show at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit by the editors of AutoWeek. It was the second award of the show for the sleek hybrid; it also won Best Concept Vehicle at the show in the EyesOn Design Awards, which is judged by top automotive design executives and by academics from transportation design programs.
The redesigned Audi A6 won the Eyes On Best Production Car Design award. The luxury sedan will be out in the fall. The other AutoWeek editor's picks were:
Most Fun: BMW 1-Series M Coupe
Most Significant: Chrysler 300
Best Concept: Ford Vertrek
--NWautos staff
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