Today, everyone associated with Ford should take pride in the quality of the cars and trucks we build that resulted in the latest headlines on Consumer Reports Annual Car Reliability Survey. Among those headlines: Ford Reliability Gains on Honda, Toyota, from Bloomberg News, and Ford Builds Most Reliable American Cars, from The Detroit News.
The results from Consumer Reports further validate the quality story we at Ford have been telling for some time. Our efforts to design, build and launch with quality are paying off. As David Champion, director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, noted, This has been a systematic, structural change within Ford.
That structural change shows in the dedicated work by teams in manufacturing, product development, purchasing, marketing, sales and quality using disciplined, standardized processes to deliver significant quality gains. Despite the challenges of the current automotive climate, our teams have remained focused on the goal, to become the highest quality automotive manufacturer. We are well on our way to achieving that goal.
A total of 44 FLM vehicles / configurations earned average or better reliability ratings compared to 41 FLM vehicles / configurations in last years survey.
Some highlights from the Consumer Reports auto issue, which features the Ford Fusion on the cover with the caption, Ford Fusion, top rating in Reliability.
* Ford was singled out as on par with the Japanese automakers and the best of the domestics. The magazine writes: Fords three nameplates Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury lead the domestic automakers and continue to pull away from the rest of Detroit.
* Almost all Ford products now carry average or better than average reliability ratings. The Ford
Fusion and Mercury Milan continue to rank among the most reliable family cars. The freshened Ford Focus sedan rated above average, with the magazine citing a vast improvement. The Ford F150 2WD versions with V6 and V8 are rated better than average. The 2009 model has not yet
been tested.
We all should be pleased with the survey results, but not surprised. We have set a high standard for ourselves and our customers and we are making progress every day to deliver on that standard.