When people buy a car they consider many different options; some focus on looks, some on speed, others on safety. But everyone cares about reliability. American and European brand name cars are now getting a wake up call because Asia continues to have some of the most reliable cars including Toyota and Honda Motor Co. Predictions say that their 2011 models will only strengthen their reputation.
But Ford and GMC are not just sitting back and watching Asian cars surpass them. They have been working hard to improve their reputations by sending the unreliable cars to the scrap yard and by creating new models such as GMC's 2011 Chevrolet Equinox crossover wagon and Buick LaCrosse sedan. Also, Ford's Fusion sedan is now top-ranked when it comes to family cars.
Reliability is such an important factor because the more people can trust the company's car, the more they are willing to pay for it. Just last quarter Ford earned 1.7 billion. But their work is not done yet, they are still only ranked 10th out of 27 in reliability.
David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports auto-test operations says, "It doesn't take very long to lose a good reputation, but it takes five or 10 years to gain one." Ford and GMC are now on the right track.

I feel that in general, Ford and GMC have nothing to worry about because soon enough they will find themselves in the top rankings. They have been slowly climbing up by building trust with their consumers, and eventually they will get to where they need to be. Toyota on the other hand, may need to be worried. Last year they experienced many recalls and probably lost a lot of consumer trust. Overall, I feel that American brands will soon take the lead, but in the future the reliability list will continue to be one that fluctuates constantly.