Consumer Reports has rewarded the Tesla Model S with a score of 99 out of 100 points, the testing firm’s highest vehicle rating since 2007. Get this car biz news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ Chrysler is adding another line and 200 more workers at its Trenton, Michigan plant to build 4-cylinder Tigershark engines. More here at The Detroit News.
+ Ford Motor Company has signed a three-year, multi-million dollar deal to serve as title sponsor of Detroit’s annual fireworks display. More here at Crain’s Detroit Business.
+ Subaru will invest another $400 million and add 900 jobs at its Lafayette, Indiana plant to build the Impreza and other vehicles beginning in 2016. More here at USA Today.
+ Consumer Reports has graded the Tesla Model S at 99 out of 100 points, its highest current rating for any current automobile. More here at CNBC.
+ A NASCAR appeals panel has reduced the recent penalites levied against Joe Gibbs Racing and driver Matt Kenseth for an underweight connecting rod. More here at ESPN.
+ Nissan has named American Alfonso Albaisa as the new global design director at Infiniti. More here at Motor Authority.
+ Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Jr. told investors at the annual shareholder meeting to remain patient regarding the company’s share price. More here at Reuters.
+ Lotus F1 technical director James Allison has moved on to a team not yet named, replaced by Nick Chester. More here at Motorsport.com.
For the previous Executive Briefing from May 6, click here.
I’ve never driven a Tesla and likely will never have a need to spend that kind of money for a car. However, I’m skeptical of Consumer Reports’ high rating for this car. For many years, they seemed to have an anti-American car bias. That was probably justified in the ’70s and ’80s but American manufacturers have been competitive for twenty years now.
Now they seem to be on an alternative fuel crusade and I feel that the high rating for the Tesla is part of a conscious Anti-Detroit agenda. By praising this upstart they are subliminally spitting on Ford and GM (screw Chrysler, that’s a house of cards and Italian ones at that).
I’ve participated in Consumer Reports’ auto reliability surveys, and while imperfect, they’re more relevant than JD Power I have used them as a guide for many things and I consider their opinion when buying cars. But they often fixate on insignificant features while ignoring bigger issues. They’re not corrupt and they don’t have imbeciles running the show, but I don’t believe that they are as free of bias as they claim.
PS: The car looks great in that photo. Unfortunately, I can’t see much differentiation in modern car design. That could just as easily be a BMW or a Toyota. I also think if the car were actually on that beach at sunset, the lighting would be different. We may as well go back to the Van Fitz illustrations that Pontiac used in the Sixties.
I’m not sure bias is the exact word, but CR indeed has a particular worldview. That said, I also find their testing results useful. This is true of both their automotive reviews as well as other products. But I’ve heard more than one person say they ignore CR’s final ratings.
Yes, the rating will indeed raise one eyebrow around the industry.
Meanwhile, back in Detroit, it’s great to see Ford’s public commitment to such a major community event and the addition of two jobs at the Chrysler engine plant.