Consumer Reports' Top 10 Picks All Go To Japanese Autos
Japanese automobile brands took all 10 slots in Consumer Reports magazine's top picks for 2006 models, released yesterday.
This marks the first time since the annual top-picks rankings were introduced in 1997 that all of the top picks went to Japanese car makers. Last year, nine out of the top 10 picks were Japanese. Historically, the top picks have been a mix of Japanese, European and U.S. models.
MODERN TWIST ON MUSCLE CARS
Car makers are hoping to supercharge sales by tapping nostalgia, offering new models inspired by the American muscle cars of the 1960s and '70s. Compare four new models: Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Mazda RX-8 and Nissan 350Z.
? See Consumer Reports' reviews of these models.
The findings are included in the magazine's April Auto Issue, which includes buying recommendations based on survey results and Consumer Reports' own auto tests. The issue is widely used as a source for car-buying decisions. Last year, 4.3 million April issues were sold, comprising four million copies to subscribers and 300,000 at newsstands.
To be included as a top pick, vehicles garnered high scores in Consumer Reports' own tests, were predicted to have average or better reliability and performed adequately in crash tests done by the government and insurance industry.
Honda Motor Co. dominated the rankings, winning in five categories. Among its new models for 2006, the Civic was the top pick for the small-sedan category and the Honda Ridgeline took the top spot in the pickup-truck category. The number of vehicles recommended remained steady for many European car brands, but four of six BMW AG vehicles tested were recommended, up from just one last year.
CONSUMER REPORTS' TOP PICKS
? Honda Civic, Honda Civic, Acura TL, Infiniti M35, Subaru Forester, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Honda Ridgeline, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Prius, Subaru Impreza WRX / STi
Among U.S. car makers, General Motors Corp. had recommendations for 11 out of 33 U.S. vehicles tested, steady with last year. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group got recommendations for four out of 16 vehicles tested, down from six last year. Ford Motor Co.'s Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands garnered recommendations for seven out of 18 vehicles tested, down from eight last year.
《消费者报导》十大最佳车型均为日本车
在美国《消费者报导》(Consumer Reports)杂志周三公布的2006年最佳车型评选结果中，日本品牌汽车包揽了所有10款最佳车型。
这是自1997年推出该项年度评选以来，日本品牌汽车首次将所有最佳车型尽收囊中。而去年10款最佳车型中亦有9款为日本车。从以前的评选结果看，最佳车型一直是日本、欧洲和美国车三分天下。
《消费者报导》的此次评选刊登在其4月份汽车专刊中，其中还包括了基于调查结果的购车推荐以及该杂志自己的汽车测评等。这份专刊被广泛用做选购汽车的指南。去年的4月汽车专刊售出了430万份，其中订户购买400万份、报摊销售30万份。
入选最佳车型的汽车在《消费者报导》自己的测评中都拿到了较高的得分。这些车型的可靠性预计都达到或超过了行业平均水平，在政府和保险公司组织的碰撞测试中也有不错表现。
本田汽车是本次评选的最大赢家，在5类车型的评选中获得了最佳。在小型轿车评选中，本田汽车2006年新车型Civic被评为最佳车型；它的另一款新车Honda Ridgeline获得皮卡－卡车最佳车型。多数欧洲轿车品牌的受推荐数量保持稳定，而宝马汽车公司(BMW AG)接受测试的6款车型中有4款得到推荐，去年该公司只有一款车型受到推荐。
在美国汽车厂商中，通用汽车(General Motors Corp.)经过测试的33款车型中有11款获得推荐，与去年数量一致；戴姆勒克莱斯勒(DaimlerChrysler AG)的Chrysler Group经过测试的16款车型中有4款获得推荐，去年为6款；福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)经过测试的18款车型中有7款获得推荐，少于去年的8款。
