US car manufacturers: Still a competitor? NOPE! By: Stephen Jackson and Steve Nitka

Why? Up until recently, American auto companies had focused mainly on design and style, whereas non-American companies focused on innovations and performance. Due to this fact, American car industries are significantly behind on the technology aspect of car manufacturing.

Resolution based on these categories: Performance. Design. Luxury. Safety. Efficiency Innovation.

Car and Driver awarded the top 10 best cars in this order this year. Acura TSX Audi A3 2.0 T BMW 3-Series Chevy Corvette Chrysler 300 Ford Mustang GT Honda Accord Mazda MX-5 Mazda RX-8 Porsche Boxter

Performance While American manufacturers may have been known for power in it’s automobiles, they were ranked low on efficiency. According to CNN, the Porsche 911 beat out all other cars for performance this year by utilizing exceptional handling while possessing incredible power, while American companies only had the power.

Design American companies used to control the design market with models such as the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Corvette. Now, the most revolutionary designs are being engineered across the seas. Italian companies such as Mazerati and Lamborghini now have exceptional designs as well as acceleration and power.

Luxury American manufacturers have never been famous for luxury, having being dominated by new technologies being innovated into cars by Japanese car manufacturers

Safety Rankings (5 Categories) Upscale and large sedans. The Lexus ES300, the Audi A4 and the BMW 330i topped the charts. Family sedans. The Volkswagen Passat GLX (V6) came in at number one, with the Toyota Camry XLE (V6) close behind. Small cars. Volkswagen also took top honors in the battle of the bantamweights. The VW Golf TDI came in at No.1. Close behind was the Honda Civic EX and the Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI. Pickup trucks. In the full-sized pickup category, pole position went to the Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7. Sport utility vehicles and minivans. In the small-sized SUV category, the top vehicles for safety were the Saturn VUE (V6), the Honda CR-V EX and the Hyundai Santa Fe GLS (V6). In the midsized category, the winners were the Lexus RX300, the Acura MDX and the Toyota Highlander. (SUVs that did poorly were the Chevrolet Trail Blazer, the GMC Envoy and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.)

Efficiency (Fueleconomy.gov) The Honda Insight is the most efficient car with 60 mpg, 66 hwy. Honda and Hyundai cars ranked highly in most of the car categories while in terms of American companies, only the Ford Focus Station Wagon was listed in the midsize station wagons category with 26 mpg, 34 hwy

Innovation Japanese companies have incorporated their best technology into their cars, as well as manufacturing the most efficient cars on the road. American companies have innovated technology to create the best trucks on the road, unfortunately trucks are not as popular in other countries.

Works Cited www.Caranddriver.com www.consumerreports.org http://www.cnn.com/AUTOS/