Tag: index

Study: Ford F-150 bumps Camry from top of Cars.com American Made Index

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota

2013 Ford F-150 XLT

With July 4th just around the corner, what better time could there be for Cars.com to announce that the Ford F-150 is the Most American car of 2013? This may be especially true since it was the Toyota Camry, a car produced by a company based in Japan, that had held the top spot from 2009 to 2012.

Cars.com compiles its Most American list by considering the amount of parts each vehicle uses that come from America, where it’s final assembly takes place and how many units per year are sold. “While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn’t change from 2012-2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot,” according to Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com.

As far as automakers go (as opposed to individual models), Toyota retains the top spot it held in 2012, with General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Honda (in that order) rounding out the list. The motivation behind this list each year, according to Olsen, is “to help car shoppers understand that ‘American-Made’ extends beyond just the Detroit three” and because “a study we conducted in 2012 indicated that 25 percent of shoppers surveyed preferred to buy American.”

It should be noted, however, that Cars.com isn’t the only group with an American-made study, and not everyone agrees on the methodology used. In fact, a highly detailed study earlier this year by American University’s Kogod School of Business found that the Lambda CUV triplets from GM are the most American-made nameplates, and there isn’t a single vehicle from a Japanese automaker anywhere near its top ten.

Feel free to browse the press release below to see how the full top-10 list breaks down.

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Ford F-150 bumps Camry from top of Cars.com American Made Index originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CarMD’s Vehicle Health Index deciphers the ‘check engine’ light

Filed under: Etc.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/03/carmd-deciphers-the-check-engine-light-with-first-annual-vehic/

Is your Check Engine light staring you in the face? That bright orange warning serves as a beacon that something is wrong. Problem is, it doesn’t convey anything more than that. For years, the prime culprit of an illuminated CEL has been a loose gas cap. In fact, according to CarMD.com, the gas cap has ranked as number one on the CEL hit list for the last 12 years. Recently, however, it seems people are either giving their gas caps an extra twist or the Check Engine Light has had enough because the new CEL king is the engine misfire.

CarMD has an extensive database of Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC), which date back to the 1996 introduction of mandated on-board diagnostic technology. Now, CarMD is using that data to shed some light on the oft-misunderstood Check Engine light, and it’s produced its first-ever Annual Vehicle Health Index Report.

Set to be released each April, the Vehicle Health Index Report examines the most common repairs or fixes required as a result of CEL warnings. The gas cap has fallen to number two on that list, while replacement of the O2 sensor has risen to the top spot. Taking home third place is the always-expensive DTC that alerts you to replace your catalytic converter.

Click past the jump to read the full press release from CarMD.com, and to glean more insight into what our Check Engine lights are telling us. Unless, of course, you own a Volkswagen from the mid ’90s, in which case you should simply get a piece of black tape and cover up the CEL because it’s always on.

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CarMD’s Vehicle Health Index deciphers the ‘check engine’ light originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 May 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW tops in Corporate Trust Index only a few years after sex and bribery scandal?

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Volkswagen

VW chrome emblems in factory bin

No one could ever accuse the auto industry of having a sturdy long-term memory. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen Group has just been named the most trustworthy company in the German DAX stock index. Sure, Max, that adorable talking Beetle seems like a stand-up guy and all, but it wasn’t so long ago that VW ran into some serious legal trouble over its business dealings. Most notably, in 2008, Klaus Volkert, the former head of the company’s works council, was sentenced to three years in prison for breach of trust. The courts found that Volkert had received close to $3 million in order to influence votes on significant company decisions. Nothing like good old fashioned bribery to get things done.

Bad? Sure, but it gets worse. Another executive, Klaus-Joachim Gebauer, was found guilty of 40 counts of breach of trust after organizing pleasure cruises for members of the works council. Aside from the usual wining and dining, the cruises featured a full stable of prostitutes with orders to treat the council members “generously.” But hey, that was at least two years ago… right?

[Source: Automotive News | Image: Fabian Bimmer/AP]

VW tops in Corporate Trust Index only a few years after sex and bribery scandal? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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