1995 Design News Auto Survey
Once again, the Taurus is the car engineers would buy today
By Paul E. Teague, Executive Editor -- Design News, October 8, 1995
For the tenth year in a row, Design News readers have said that the Ford Taurus is the car that they would buy today.
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CAR I WOULD BUY TODAY |
||
|
BY MODEL |
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|
Manufacturer |
1994 Rank |
|
Ford Taurus |
3.1% |
1-tie |
Dodge Intrepid |
2.8% |
4 |
Ford Explorer |
2.4% |
9 |
Toyota Camry |
2.4% |
3 |
Pontiac Bonneville |
2.4% |
N/A |
Ford Full P/U |
2.1% |
N/A |
Honda Accord |
2.1% |
1-tie |
Saturn SL |
2.1% |
8 |
Buick LeSabre |
1.7% |
N/A |
Ford Crown Victoria |
1.7% |
N/A |
Jeep Cherokee |
1.7% |
8 |
The vote marked a clean sweep by the Taurus and the Ford Motor Co. in general, as the car and its maker also captured top honors in three other categories of questions in the 16th annual Design News automotive survey: What is the best engineered U.S. car (Taurus), Which manufacturer has the best combination of technical know-how and business acumen (Ford), and What popular new car do you like best (Mustang).
"To receive this award for ten years in succession is a tremendous honor," says Jack Telneck, Ford vice president for Corporate Design. "The original Taurus began the trend which matched auto design with the principles of flowing aerodynamic shapes--form following function with the emphasis on soft lines. It proved to be a breakthrough design. I hope the new Taurus will continue the success of its predecessor in finding great favor among Design News readers."
Despite Ford's domination of the "car-I-would-buy-today" question, Chrysler got the readers' nod as the manufacturer whose products have shown the most improvement over the past five years. That vote was no doubt influenced by the success of the Viper and Neon. Readers, in fact, named the Neon as the new car that gives the best value for the money.
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CAR I WOULD BUY TODAY |
||
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BY MANUFACTURER |
||
|
Manufacturer |
1994 Rank |
|
Ford |
17.4% |
1 |
Chevrolet |
14.2% |
3 |
Dodge |
8.3% |
2 |
Toyota |
5.9% |
7 |
Chrysler |
5.6% |
10 |
Buick |
5.9% |
5 |
Honda |
4.9% |
4 |
Saturn |
4.5% |
N/A |
Nissan |
3.1% |
N/A |
Oldsmobile |
3.1% |
N/A |
Pontiac |
3.1% |
8 |
Acura |
2.4% |
N/A |
The survey, mailed last spring to a random selection of 2,500 readers, included a six-page questionnaire. Seventeen percent of respondents work in automotive-related fields.
Close but clear. Voting was close on the question of what car model readers would buy today, with the Taurus edging out the Dodge Intrepid 3.1% to 2.8%. Tied for third with 2.4% each were the Ford Explorer, Toyota Camry, and Pontiac Bonneville, new to the top-ten list this year. Also new to the list: the Buick LeSabre, Ford Crown Victoria, and the Ford F150 pickup.
While close, the voting indicated a clear preference for Fords, since four different Ford models ranked in the top ten.
Perhaps typifying readers opinions, David Cheney, a mechanical engineer with Rockford, IL, capital equipment manufacturer Reed Chatwood, Inc., says he is most impressed with innovations in the Taurus and its overall quality. "I bought a used Sable, and it's excellent," he reports.
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ENGINE CHOICES |
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|
Engine Type |
1995% |
1994 Rank |
V-6 |
32.9% |
1 |
24 Valve V-6 |
22.7% |
3 |
V-8 |
17.1% |
2 |
32 Valve V-8 |
7.6% |
4 |
16 Valve In-Line 4 |
6.6% |
5 |
In-Line 4 |
5.6% |
6 |
Turbo/Super charge |
2.6% |
7 |
Rotary |
1.6% |
8 |
Other |
5.6% |
|
Adds Alan Brodie, an electrical engineer with KLA Instruments, Inc., Santa Clara, CA: "Ford has the best combination of styling and innovation. I've had two Fords, and the second one, a Taurus, is even better than the first."
The Honda Accord, which tied the Taurus for first in last year's survey, tied for sixth place this year with the Ford full-size pickup.
When asked to name the car they would buy today, by automaker, 17.4% of readers chose a Ford over second-place Chevrolet (14.2%) and third-place Dodge (8.3%).
Ford was the run-away favorite in the Best-engineered category by automaker, winning 23.9% to Cadillac's 13.9% and Chrysler's 12.0%. By model, the Taurus bested the Corvette 6.7% to 6.2%.
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TOOLS FOR DEALING WITH TRAFFIC CONGESTION |
|
|
Tool |
% |
Improved Mass Transit |
70.4% |
Intelligent Vehicle Hwy Systems |
44.1% |
Acceptance of Telecommuting |
39.8% |
Preferential Carpool Lanes |
38.2% |
Separate Bicycle Routes |
21.4% |
More Highway Construction |
19.1% |
Mandatory Car Pooling |
10.2% |
Higher Rush Hour Tolls |
7.9% |
Other |
13.2% |
And as an indication that Design News readers vote with their wallets, Fords in general and Taurus in particular turn out to be the cars that readers drive today. Over 19% of readers who responded to the survey say they drive Fords vs 18% who drive Chevrolets and 6% who drive Dodges. By make, it's 3.3% driving Tauruses, 3% driving Ford Rangers, and 2% each driving Corsicas, Luminas, and Chevy trucks.
High-stakes gamble. The results also indicate the stakes Ford is gambling with in its current redesign of the Taurus. Bucking the cautionary advice of those who would say "if it aint broke, don't fix it"--the Taurus has been the best selling car in the U.S. for the past three years--Ford has invested heavily in a new, stiffer design, and styling that is very different from the current model.
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SAFEST PRODUCTION CAR MANUFACTURER |
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Manufacturer |
1995% |
1994 Rank |
Volvo |
38.8% |
1 |
Mercedes-Benz |
14.4% |
2 |
Ford |
8.4% |
7 |
Chevrolet |
5.2% |
6 |
Cadillac |
4.8% |
4 |
Buick |
4.0% |
5 |
Lincoln |
3.2% |
3 |
As an additional measure of "chutzpah," Ford will cut the number of fleet sales for the Taurus starting next year. Fleet sales have accounted for half of Ford sales in the past, but in 1996 they will only be 30% of Taurus sales.
While the Taurus retained its titles as the car readers would buy today, and the best engineered U.S. car, Mercedes-Benz surfaced as the readers' "Dream Car" for the 15th consecutive time. Second place was shared by Chevrolet and Dodge, with Fords taking third.
"The Mercedes has always been tops in quality, and everyone copies it," says Reed Chatwood's Chaney.
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BEST NEW CAR UNDER $15,000 |
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BY MANUFACTURER |
||
|
Manufacturer |
1994 Rank |
|
Saturn |
20.1% |
1 |
Chevrolet |
13.4% |
5 |
Dodge |
12.9% |
N/A |
Ford |
8.9% |
4 |
Honda |
8.0% |
3 |
Toyota |
7.6% |
6 |
Chrysler |
4.9% |
N/A |
When answering the "dream-car" question by specific model, readers picked the Corvette, followed closely by the Lincoln Town Car and any Mercedes. The Corvette generally ranks high in the dream-car category, and it will be interesting to see how readers view its redesign, due out next year at this time.
Other modes. Despite the popularity of traditional sedans and coupes, there are plenty of other types of vehicles holding readers' interest. Not surprisingly, in view of their numbers on the road, four-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles rank as the top alternative vehicle for Design News readers. Tied for second are mini-vans and pick-ups.
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BEST NEW CAR UNDER $15,000 |
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BY MODEL |
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|
Model |
1994 Rank |
|
Saturn Unspec. |
3.1% |
1 |
Neon |
2.8% |
2 |
Chevrolet Cavalier |
2.4% |
5 |
Toyota Corolla |
2.4% |
6 |
Honda Civic |
2.4% |
3 |
Geo Prizm |
2.1% |
7 |
No doubt in recognition of the popularity of "utes," Ford is weighing the possibility of developing a mini-sport utility. That would be one way to capture younger buyers and move them up to an Explorer, says Automotive News. The industry trade paper says that throughout the next decade, most of the new products coming out of Asia will be sport utilities and mini-vans. Even Cadillac may someday have a sport ute.
Safe choice. Volvo continues its tradition of topping the list of safe cars, according to readers, widening its lead over second-place Mercedes. Interestingly enough, however, in Sweden, home of the Volvo, opinions are different. Sweden's Folksam Insurance Institute, the country's largest insurance body, has ranked Saab as the safest car three years in a row, 1992, 1993, and 1994. The U.S. Highway Loss Data Institute ranks the Saab 900 as the safest small car.
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DREAM CAR |
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|
Manufacturer |
1994 Rank |
|
Mercedes-Benz |
14.7% |
1 |
Chevrolet |
10.1% |
3 |
Dodge |
10.1% |
2 |
Ford |
6.5% |
11 |
Porsche |
6.1% |
10 |
Lexus |
5.4% |
5 |
Lamborghini |
5.0% |
N/A |
BMW |
4.3% |
7 |
Lincoln |
4.3% |
8 |
Cadillac |
3.6% |
4 |
Toyota |
3.2% |
N/A |
GMC |
2.9% |
N/A |
Jaguar |
2.9% |
N/A |
Chrysler |
2.5% |
N/A |
Regardless of their specific choice of car, readers rank size and solid construction as the major ingredients in automotive safety. Air bags are a distant second while anti-lock brakes come in sixth. And when it comes to technologies automakers can provide to make driving safer, readers prefer computer interlocks that can prevent drunk drivers from operating their vehicles. At least one respondent, perhaps unwittingly speaking for many others, said better drivers were one of the keys to safer cars.
When asked to rank important engineering features in cars, readers give the edge to anti-lock brakes, followed by dual airbags and cruise control. The innovation readers most want to see in cars: collision-avoidance systems.
Overall, however, safety isn't the most important attribute readers will look for in their next car: Reliability is, followed by price. In the traditional way of car-buying in America, price has always been important. As Oldsmobile President John Rock has said numerous times, many customers want to talk discount even after the dealer gives their best price.
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BEST NEW CAR $15,000 TO $25,000 |
|
|
BY MANUFACTURER |
|
Manufacturer |
1995% |
Ford |
15.1% |
Toyota |
11.9% |
Buick |
10.5% |
Dodge |
10.0% |
Honda |
8.2% |
Chevrolet |
7.3% |
Chrysler |
6.4% |
Nissan |
5.9% |
Oldsmobile |
3.2% |
Mercury |
2.3% |
Recycling has become a big business in America today. The Wall Street Journal has reported that 95% of the 10 million cars and trucks that die each year go to recyclers. By almost two-to-one, Design News readers support those and other efforts by favoring tougher recycling laws. Additionally, three-fourths of those readers want to see more than half of every car be recycled.
The Big Three's Vehicle Recycling Partnership consortium is working hard to find ways to make more parts of cars recyclable. Among their current targets: instrument panels, currently constructed of several different kinds of plastics. The consortium's goal is to cut down the number of plastics to make recycling possible and practical.
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BEST NEW CAR $15,000 TO $25,000 |
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BY MODEL |
|
|
Manufacturer/Model |
|
Toyota Camry |
10.0% |
Dodge Intrepid |
7.8% |
Ford Taurus |
7.3% |
Honda Accord |
6.4% |
Buick LeSabre |
4.6% |
Nissan Maxima |
4.6% |
Ford Crown Vic |
3.2% |
Chrysler Concorde |
2.7% |
Quality wars. While Ford topped the list of companies with the best combination of technical know-how and business acumen, readers continue to feel overall that Japan produces the highest-quality cars, followed by Germany and Sweden. The U.S. ranks a close fourth, they say.
"The Japanese have a higher standard of quality and pay greater attention to detail," says KLA Instruments' Brodie.
Nevertheless, he and most other readers also feel that Japanese cars have become too expensive in the U.S., perhaps because of the value of the yen. That's not necessarily cause for celebration in Detroit, however. As Business Week reports, if Japanese car makers honor their pledge to add production capacity in the U.S., they will lower their costs on key models. It appears they are honoring the pledge: Toyota's North American production was up in June 17.3% over a year ago, says Automotive News.
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ALTERNATIVE TO TYPICAL SEDAN OR COUPE |
|
4WD SUV |
26.6% |
Mini-Van |
22.0% |
P/U Truck |
22.0% |
2-Seat Sport Car |
10.5% |
Convertible |
6.6% |
Station Wagon |
6.3% |
Full-Size Van |
3.0% |
Motorcycle |
2.0% |
Other |
1.6% |
In any case, efforts to trim their manufacturing costs and reduce car complexity are certain to shave some of the $2,000 average cost disadvantage Accords and Camrys currently carry in the U.S.
Saving money in fuel expense is important to everyone who isn't a millionaire. Survey respondents believe that the best engineering strategy for improving fuel efficiency is lighter vehicles, followed by continuously variable transmissions. That lighter weight may come from use of graphite/epoxy compounds, which readers see as the leading trend in use of materials.
Avoiding traffic jams is another strategy for conserving fuel. Though as engineers they have a love affair with cars, readers believe that improved mass transit is the best bet for dealing with traffic congestion, with intelligent vehicle highway systems a distant second. There is plenty of technology in mass transit, and much of it comes from Europe. See "Technology Rides the French Rails," Design News, July 24, 1995.
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BEST LUXURY CAR UNDER $40,000 |
||
|
BY MODEL |
||
|
Model |
1994 Rank |
|
Lexus Unspecified |
14.6% |
N/A |
Lincoln Town Car |
7.8% |
1 |
Lincoln Continental |
4.4% |
N/A |
Lincoln Mark |
3.9% |
4 |
Cadillac Unspec. |
3.4% |
2 |
Mercedes Unspec. |
3.4% |
N/A |
Lexus ES400 |
2.9% |
N/A |
Microcontrollers continue to increase their presence in cars (See Electronics Create the Cybercar,). That's just fine with readers, who overwhelmingly said no to a question on whether automakers have gone too far in the direction of computerized control.
No to EVs. But while they are big believers in electronics, Design News readers are not likely prospects for companies developing electric vehicles. By a wide margin--51% to 27%--they said they aren't interested. What could get them interested? The ability to go longer distances in electric cars, and longer-life batteries.
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BEST ENGINEERED U.S. CAR |
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|
BY MANUFACTURER |
||
|
Manufacturer |
1994 Rank |
|
Ford |
23.9% |
1 |
Cadillac |
13.9% |
2 |
Chrysler |
12.0% |
4 |
Chevrolet |
10.0% |
7 |
Lincoln |
7.7% |
6 |
Buick |
7.2% |
8 |
Dodge |
7.2% |
3 |
Saturn |
6.7% |
5 |
Oldsmobile |
2.9% |
9 |
The weakness of current technology to satisfy those needs is certainly a major factor in recent action by the California Air Resources Board. The Board has proposed that hybrid-electric vehicles be given credit toward meeting the state's 1998 zero-emissions mandate. The credit would go to a hybrid whose tailpipe emissions are equal to the powerplant emissions associated with charging an electric vehicle. According to the proposal, the range for the vehicle on battery power alone would have to be 30 miles to qualify for the credit.
Massachusetts is also considering stepping back from 1998 implementation of zero-emissions mandates.
If not electricity, what alternative fuel do readers prefer? Natural gas ranked number one, with hydrogen a distant second. Natural gas engines are increasingly powering trucks today.
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BEST ENGINEERED U.S. CAR |
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BY MODEL |
||
Model |
1994 Rank |
|
Ford Taurus |
6.7% |
1 |
Chevrolet Corvette |
6.2% |
6 |
Cadillac Seville |
3.8% |
2 |
Chrysler Concorde |
2.9% |
N/A |
Buick LeSabre |
2.9% |
N/A |
Saturn Unspec. |
2.9% |
3 |
That trend is driven, in part, by federal laws requiring that certain fleets use clean fuels. In fact, complying with federal regulations is the major challenge ahead for Detroit, according to Design News readers.
What conclusions do we draw from this latest survey of engineers' opinions on automotive technology? First, engineers are consistent in their belief that Ford is, for now, the U.S. car company to beat. But they also cling to the view that foreign cars have higher quality than those from Detroit. The very consistency with which they hold those two opinions alone indicate that they will reward technical innovation and excellence with their loyalty, but automakers have to work hard to earn it.
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POPULAR NEW CARS LIKED BEST |
|
|
Model |
|
Mustang |
24.9% |
Camaro |
17.1% |
Aurora |
17.1% |
Cirrus |
10.4% |
Neon |
7.1% |
Contour |
6.7% |
Avalon |
6.7% |
Millenia |
6.3% |
Cavalier |
4.5% |
Aspire |
0.4% |
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POPULAR NEW CARS BEST VALUE FOR THE MONEY |
|
|
Model |
|
Neon |
25.1% |
Cavalier |
14.4% |
Camaro |
13.6% |
Mustang |
12.8% |
Cirrus |
10.3% |
Contour |
8.2% |
Avalon |
7.0% |
Aurora |
5.8% |
Aspire |
1.6% |
Millenia |
1.2% |
|
BEST FUEL EFFICIENCY STRATEGY |
|
|
Improvement |
|
Lighter Vehicles |
43.3% |
Contin. Variable Trans. |
27.7% |
Flywheel Engergy Storage |
22.8% |
Improved Aerodynamics |
22.1% |
Decreased Rolling Res. Tires |
14.5% |
Improved Bearings |
10.7% |
Other |
18.0% |
|
MOST EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE FUEL SYSTEM |
|
|
Fuel |
|
Natural Gas |
39.8% |
Hydrogen |
22.2% |
Electricity |
15.8% |
Ethanol |
14.3% |
Methanol |
12.5% |
Re-Refined Gas |
5.0% |
Other |
2.5% |
|
TRENDS REGARDING USE OF MATERIALS |
|||
|
Increasing |
Same |
Decreasing |
|
|
Graphite/Epoxy |
|||
Compounds |
86% |
13% |
1% |
Plastics |
79% |
16% |
5% |
Ceramics |
74% |
2% |
5% |
Aluminum |
71% |
23% |
6% |
Magnesium |
28% |
51% |
21% |
Steel |
2% |
10% |
88% |
Other Composites |
67% |
24% |
9% |
|
TOO MUCH COMPUTERIZED CONTROL OF MAJOR SYSTEMS |
|
Don't Know |
13.9% |
Yes |
22.4% |
No |
63.7% |
|
From 1988 - 1994 auto electric market grew 9% per year. Analysts predict that will slow down. So says analyst Paul Hansen, Rye, NH |
|
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INNOVATION MOST LIKE TO SEE |
||
|
Technology |
1994 Rank |
|
Collision Avoidance Systems |
40.3% |
1 |
Innovative Engines |
33.0% |
2 |
Greater Use of New Materials |
24.7% |
4 |
Noise Cancellation Systems |
18.0% |
5 |
Drive By Wire |
10.7% |
7 |
Multiplex Wiring System |
10.0% |
6 |
