By Sarah Archer, Content Marketing Manager, Siege Media
A recent study, analyzing data from more than 2,000 Americans, shows that many may be thinking more with their hearts than their heads when it comes to which cars they believe to be the most reliable.
The survey discovered that when asked which cars they thought were best in terms of reliability, 40 percent of people in the U.S. chose American cars, even though the J.D. Power dependability study demonstrates otherwise.
When asked about which countries they believed manufactured the most dependable cars, the answers were generally weighted incorrectly. Only 18 percent of respondents chose what is seen as the correct answer for the country producing the most reliable vehicles: Germany. In all, Germany had the most vehicles above industry standard for dependability at 36 percent with no brands at all found to be below standards for reliability.
Japan is considered as a leader for creating dependable vehicles by many, and 29 percent of those surveyed chose Japan as their answer – specifically looking to Honda and Toyota as reliable brands. However, while many Japanese brands do exceed the industry standard for reliability, there is an even split, 30 percent are found to exceed the standard, while 30 percent are below standard.
In the U.S., despite the confidence of many survey respondents, only 14 percent of brands were found to be above industry standard in dependability while 47 percent were found to be under the standard. Even though this is the case, the top-selling vehicles in the U.S. are manufactured in America. In 2018, the Ford F-150, Chevy Cruz, and Dodge Ram Pick Up were the most popular vehicles, despite the issues with reliability from those brands.
Dealers might choose to use this information as an incentive to advocate for sales for internationally manufactured cars, but it’s also useful to know that a bias toward U.S.-manufactured vehicles exists and that reliability concerns aren’t the only factor, or maybe aren’t even a major one when people look to purchase a car.
About the Author
Sarah Archer is a Content Marketing Manager at Siege Media who’s passionate about developing high-quality content for diverse industries ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
