News flash: The 2010 list of worst cars on the road doesn't include Toyota!

If only the U.S. auto slump was a matter of poor management and lack of money--hence the need for the bailout by the Feds.  Apparently the problem is more pervasive.  Early this month Forbes ran an article the "Worst-made cars on the road," by Hannah Elliot, and all seven of the autos listed were American-made, four were General Motors autos, two were Chrysler's, and one was Ford.  

The list was comprised of vehicles from Consumer Reports studies including the Most Reliable Cars Report; the Best and Worst Values Report; the Best and Worst Safety Performance Survey; and CR's overall scores for 2010 vehicles.  Forbes then looked at all autos that received less than three out of five power circles from J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study.  Any vehicle--car, truck or SUV named among the worst in at least three of those studies [and one consumer ratings]--made the final list to be declared the "Worst-Made."

Here's the list of the seven worst cars on the road today:

GM's Cadillac Escalade [Luxury SUV]
GM's Chevrolet Aveo [Compact]
GM's Chevrolet Colorado [Truck]
GMC's Canyon [Truck]
Chrysler's Dodge Nitro [SUV]
Chrylser's Jeep Wrangler [SUV]
Ford's F-250 [Truck] 

No Toyotas to be found anywhere on the list.

Here are the relevant observations:  All of these were domestic--not foreign--brands; all but one model was from a troubled, too-big-to-fail, bailed-out company; all made the list on multiple counts; ratings for each were very low, not just relatively low.  Not one Toyota model was on the list, despite media attention to lead one to expect otherwise.  

American brands--excepting Ford for the most part--are in deep trouble: They are financial failures and are being propped up by tax-payer dollars; their management is both weak and not experienced in what it takes to effect a turnaround.  

Furthermore, in terms of turnarounds, it has been decades that American manufacturers have been aware of the need to catchup in engineering and manufacturing aspects of design and production--as well as been shown on their own home turf how it can and is done by their competitors.  All to this effect. 

Neither were U.S. auto execs subpoenaed to testify before Congress.

All things considered, it's a challenge to be hopeful that anything short of a take over by competing firms--whose cars are not on the list--will produce anything different in the future.  Also, it calls into question why Toyota execs were recently put under the microscope by Congress...and not those of these firms!  
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