Everything That's Wrong with the American Auto Industry
7/1/202658 min
This week's episode tackles a long-running debate: are American cars inferior to their Asian and European counterparts? We break down the truth about Ford, GM, Stellantis, and Tesla, and how they stack up to Toyota, Honda, and other top automakers, revealing how performance and reliability drive our ratings. Plus: why the American dealership model is still so frustrating, Chinese EV competition, expert tips for negotiating the best price on a new or used car, and how to avoid costly add-ons. We also answer a viewer question about what we think American cars do better than the competition.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:00 Intro
00:15 Do Consumer Reports Hate American Cars?
00:55 The Myth About American Car Reliability
03:56 What Is an "American-Made" Car?
09:33 Why Consumer Choice Matters
12:37 Chinese EVs and the Future of the Auto Industry
20:26 Why Do Detroit Automakers Struggle With Reliability?
28:05 EVs vs. Hybrids: What's Next?
33:16 Why Buying a Car Is Still So Hard
35:42 Dealership Tips: Avoid Costly Add-Ons
42:06 The Future of the U.S. Auto Market
51:13 Audience Question: What Do American Cars Do Better?
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Best cars, SUVs, and Trucks from American Brands
Best cars made in the USA
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/best-cars-made-in-the-usa-a7966845571/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?
Which Brands Make the Best Cars?
How to buy a new car in today's high-priced market
Chinese-made cars are already here.
Most and least satisfying hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs
How do hybrid cars work?
Find an efficient vehicle that's right for you
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/buying-guide/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
What to know when buying a new car
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/new-cars/buying-guide/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Best Cars Under $30K
Best new-car deals for July Fourth
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Quincy· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hi, and welcome back. I'm Mike Quincy.
Jon Linkov· Host0:13
I'm Jon Linkov.
Jake Fisher· Host0:14
And I'm Jake Fisher.
Mike Quincy· Host0:15
So seeing as this podcast is going, uh, to be broadcast on or around July 4th, we thought we'd take this, uh, opportunity to take a deep dive into what is going on in the American auto industry.
Jake Fisher· Host0:28
The last 250 years- [laughs] Cars ... of the American car industry.
Jon Linkov· Host0:32
Right? Yeah.
Mike Quincy· Host0:32
And be- and before we get started, I have to- Started with horsepower.
Jake Fisher· Host0:34
[laughs] I mean, it's all fine, right?
Mike Quincy· Host0:36
There you go.
Jake Fisher· Host0:36
It's all about horsepower.
Jon Linkov· Host0:37
Exactly.
Mike Quincy· Host0:38
Um, how many guys- times have you guys heard Consumer Reports hates American cars?
Jon Linkov· Host0:44
Uh, 13,000- Let's just, let's just start ... 13,122.
Jake Fisher· Host0:47
I stopped counting.
Mike Quincy· Host0:48
[laughs] Why do you think that is? Why do you think we even- Why do we hate American cars? Why, no, why do you think we even get accused of that?
Jake Fisher· Host0:54
Do you think... I think, I think we finally should come, you know, and, and tell the truth about why we actually hate American cars. Yeah, I don't know. [laughs] This is like this meme. Um, well, I mean, here's the truth, right? I mean, we rate vehicles. That's what we do. And we rate them for a whole bunch of different things. We do the testing we do on a track. We also look at reliability, and we look at a lot of different things. The, the hate thing is, is misplaced because the truth is, is that we like a lot of American cars, and actually if you look at our ratings and you look at how they perform on our track and our testing, they actually do quite well.