There used to be good cars and bad cars. You know, cars that were utterly not safe to drive, that combusted during an accident, or that literally fell apart after several thousand miles. That was then.
Today, however, one can’t really go wrong in buying a “bad” car, even though we still think that certain makes and models are much better than others. This sentiment is largely reflected by real-world studies, such as the 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, which found that the perceived difference between top automotive brands and their competitors is shrinking.
The survey tallies how consumers perceive each brand in seven categories, including safety, quality, value, performance, environmental friendliness, design/style, and technology/innovation. Combining the results of these individual categories gives the total brand-perception score and reflects brand image in the minds of consumers.
For the last few decades, Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet led the pack in being the top auto brands in the nation. This is still the case today, but the gap is slowly decreasing, as most of the top-ranked brands experienced double-digit drops in total perception scores, according to the study, while small companies have benefited from the shift, with Tesla breaking in to the top 10.
The survey found Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chevrolet, and Mercedes-Benz to be the top five brands with the best overall brand perception, with 131, 121, 94, 92, and 84 points, respectively. BMW (69), Volvo (67), Cadillac (63), Lexus (54), and Tesla (51) rounded out the top 10 list. And while Chevy and Caddy saw single-digit drops, Ford, Honda, and BMW experienced decreases of more than 20 points; Toyota dropped 17 points.
The study also references several global factors, events, and developments that have led to the noticeable change in consumer perceptions, including rising gas prices and a struggling economy — which have pushed consumers to value low operating costs and reliability of vehicles. Additionally, the natural disasters in Japan and safety-related concerns during Toyota’s extensive recalls several years ago have worked to change the perception and value landscape.
The GM Authority Take
The bottom line is that the automotive industry — like the world — is flat… or at least getting there — with brands no longer standing out from the pack like they used to only a couple of years ago. Everyone is making “good” products — so it’s only a matter of perception in deciding who is best. The full results of the survey is available here and is highly recommended, no matter if you’re a fan of CR or not.
Comments
Very true how many brands will die off because they dont stand out
That is one of the ugliest cars I have ever seen! But hey that’s a good thing because it makes the 2013 Malibu look like a million bucks!!! Why would anyone buy a toyota over a GM product??
It looks like an evolution of the Saturn Ion
And yet, it’s still the best-selling midsize sedan by a wide margin.
because of their so-called “quality”
It’s because they’re just plain good cars for people looking for a plain good car, which happens to be the car of choice of the masses.
I think the Malibu is better in the following ways:
– design (exterior and interior)
– technology
– ride and handling
– powertrain
However, those may not be the priorities of most shoppers of vehicles in that class.
I think the 2012 camry beats the 2013 malibu by the same margin as the 2007 camry did to the 2008 malibu.
For example lets take the things you say the malibu is better at.
Design is subjective one could make an equally strong argument that the camry looks better than the malibu and vice versa.
Technology, what major technological feature does the new malibu has that the new camry does not, only thing that comes to mind id the mildly better mylink vs the entune system.
Ride and Handling. Handling yes, ride debatable, and who in the midsize segment knows what oversteer or body roll is?
Powertrain: kind of vauge, not sure what you mean, but the malibu cant hold a candle to the 2012 camry and 2013 fusion in terms of mpg.
And these are its strong points?
Dont get me wrong , we all know that probably none of us here ever buy a malibu or camry, and im not a camry fanboy, im just dissapointed by the 2013 malibu and feel like chevy has made much progress in the midsize segment, the new malibu is not the best, its just competive. I bet the sales/reputation/better car will look like the following, if the malibu is not in the top two or three than theres a problem.
1. Camry
2. Fusion
3. Accord
4. Altima
5. Sonata/Optima
6. Malibu
7. Passat
8. Other like 200 and Mazda
Yeah the Malibu has only one powertrain option, at least for now.
That’s just a matter of the rollout. We’ll have at least three powertrains to choose from at full launch.
You’re right — styling is subjective and design are subjective. But for the segment and the target customer, the Malibu out-Camries the Camry. The Fusion is “too hot” to reach a high-enough sales volume… at least that’s the way it’s been historically.
From a tech perspective, I’m referring to the entire package. MyLink, OnStar, and the small things — like remote start. These are all things the Malibu does better. Marginally better, but better still.
In addition, it’s not really about the customer “knowing” about body roll, oversteer/understeer, or any of the characteristics we as enthusiasts care about. The Malibu simply drives better — from a totally non-performance perspective, just like the Cruze rides better than the Civic, Corolla, and Elantra.
As for the powertrains, the only area in which the ‘Bu is not better is when it comes to the full hybrid offering — which isn’t even offered in the Chevy. But few and far between buy those anyway; the engines and price points that truly matter for mass sales volume is the base and the next-level-up engines — and that’s where the ‘Bu leads.
I’m not entirely clear on the list you put together and what criteria it uses to rank the cars… and the topic may simply be too big in scope for what we’re talking about here, but this is the takeaway for me: the mainstream midsized segment is dominated by good cars, cars that don’t necessarily stand out, aren’t the fastest to 60 or the quarter, and don’t handle the slalom like a champ. The cars that win in this class are “good”, reliable, comfortable, dependable, safe, efficient, affordable, and even conservative, to an extent. And given that, the Malibu ticks all the boxes.
Alex, the malibu ticks all the boxes, its competitive, but thats my problem, I dont want GM cars to be competitive, the 2008 malibu was “competitive” and I was happy with it because it was GMs first real attempt at a mid size car, but now, the the 13 malibu should be the best. And by saying that customers dont know about body roll and the like, I mean that they neccessarily think the malibu drives better than the sonata(which drives like crap) or the camry, even if it does. Yes the malibu checks all the boxes, but it doesnt lead. The cruze does, thats why I love it, the malibu doesnt thats why im dissapointed.
But why do you feel it’s not the best? Sure, the ‘Bu doesn’t have the coveted two-mode hybrid system of the Fusion or Sonata… but that’s about its biggest shortcoming…
Maybe I’m just not understanding your train of thought… Sorry 🙂
One word : MPG
Thats the #1 or at least within the top three in the list of factors when buying a midsize car, and it falls short in base and eco.
I just dont see any super strong point in the malibu, it does everything well but nothin exceptional. The fusion gots its mpg and stunning looks, the camrys got its reputation, the sonata/optima is the best looking, and so on, the malibu stongest point, I think, is its driving dynamics, and frankly, in the mid size segment no one cares.
I’m not disputing that fuel economy is not an important consideration for today’s shoppers, especially in the segment. But I don’t see how the Malibu is any less competitive than comparable offerings from competitors. As far as I’m concerned, once the Fusion is out, the segment crown will be split between it, the Malibu, and the new Passat. So if the ‘Bu can beat those two, it’s already won.
Here’s what we know so far: the base ‘Bu (2.5 Ecotec) will get better fuel economy than the base Fusion (2.5 Duratec); the Eco will get better fuel economy than the 1.6L Fusion, and we’ve yet to see numbers for the the 2.0 liter turbo offerings from both Ford and Chevy… the only area in which the Malibu is not competitive is the full-hybrid offering, which doesn’t exist at GM right now — as you know. But it is certainly under development.
In addition, I wouldn’t discount the value-adds of technology and ride quality of the ‘Bu… even though the traditional segment leader has offered meager levels of each in the past.
I’d put it this way: to win in this segment, an offering needs to offer the complete package. That’s what the Malibu does. Just as the Equinox/Terrain aren’t standout products in any particular category, they’re good vehicles in general that lead the segment (whatever segment they’re in is another issue, of course).
Ok Alex, im out of arguments 🙂 but the ultimate barometer of the malibus sucess will be determined by sales, once the 13 altima and accord are out, well find out who the winner is in December 2013 after every midsize sedan has been redesigned and on sale for a whole year.
But ill bet you that the malibu wont be among the top three.
We’ll see. But I think we can both agree on one thing: the increased levels of competition are resulting in better cars, which is great.
exactly people nowadays just want transportation and when vehicles become all similar e.g. no bad ones then design will be the only selling point. which is fine with me
This is why Chevy needs to do two things: (1) Make the styling less bland, and (2) Offer a complete line of body styles (sedan, hatch, wagon). In my own search I went to a dealership who sold both the Elantra and Cruze. The Elantra struck me as being more sporty, aerodynamic-looking, etc. But when I got into the vehicles and looked at comfort issues and interior design, as well as considering what I had heard about sound-proofing, safety, etc., the Cruze was the clear winner. Chevy is not doing itself any favors by being ultra conservative. Most buyers are far less conservative that I. What attracted a work-associate to the Elantra? — Looks and warranty.
I guess we could take away 2 things from this discussion:
Either the design of the Cruze/Malibu is too bland, or
They’re right on par, with the styling of some competitors being “too designed”
I’m more in agreement with the former train of thought for the mainstream models. But for more niche vehicles (Veloster competitor, for instance), there’s no question that it needs to be as eye-catching as a naked female sign twirler on a busy street corner.
And totally agreed about the body styles. No reason that a full line brand/automaker like Chevy has a limited selection of them.
If we had to consolidate the reviews out there on the new Bu what would the consensus be, my guess is competitive, but not everyone is in love with it. That said I think it’s night and day better than the previous generation, how it will sell is a different story… I saw one on the road recently and thought it was absolutely stunning. It really comes down to GM getting out all the engine options and creating a sport version that gets people excited.