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REPORT * USA - Consumer Gives Detroit Cheer
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Car Connection by Mike Davis -10 Nov 2006: -- The head of the Consumers Union auto test unit, David Champion (*), ventured to Detroit this week to talk to a somewhat skeptical Automotive Press Association about CU's conclusions on reliability, fuel economy, and stability control, after extensively testing some 85 new 2007 models - significantly up from only 35 different models a few years ago... Somewhat surprisingly, some of Ford Motor Company's new products got a good report card, specifically the Fusion/Milan/MKZ/Zephyr family. They were among the handful listed by Champion as "most impressive." Others were the Hyundai Azera, Kia Sedona, and Mazda5... On the "least impressive" list were the Dodge Caliber, Pontiac Solstice, Subaru Tribeca, and Mitsubishi Eclipse... Champion said CU believes its fuel economy tests are more representative of consumer driving experience than the current EPA cycles used for labeling purposes. He noted, moreover, that the Japanese brands are way ahead of American, European, and Korean brands in fuel economy... Finally, he noted that quality and safety of vehicles has "improved dramatically." The ratings are "moving targets" because the base average of "things gone wrong" or defects is always being improved... (* Champion was a test engineer for Goodyear, Land Rover, and Nissan before joining Consumer Union in 1997)
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