Auto News - Four One One
Slicing And Dicing The 350Z, Making Toyota Hip, And Stalking The New Acura TL.
Styling is the least appealing thing about the xB, while the xA is more generically handsome. But that's kind of the point: Toyota's convinced that by putting out these tuner-ready vehicles at a price that leaves plenty of room for aftermarket goodies, it will win back some of the crowd lost to the Civic and Focus. And with the xA starting at $12,480, and the xB at $13,680, we're sure there are enough of you that already have ideas in mind for turning one of these into the stealth fighter Toyota thinks it can be.
Strategic Vision Says Japanese All Above Average
How nice for them--Japan's Big Three brands are all above average when it comes to satisfying their customers. That's according to Strategic Vision, which released its annual Total Quality Index (TQI) in June. Volkswagen ranked first among multi-line automakers, and BMW was tops among brands. Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti each finished above the industry average of 858 out of a possible 1000. The Japanese also made out in the individual categories, snagging kudos for the Infiniti G35, Honda Accord Coupe, Odyssey, Toyota 4Runner and Subaru Baja. Strategic Vision polls 30,000 owners of new vehicles at least 90 days after they buy for their opinions on things like dealer service, quality and design. The complete results went something like this:
| COMPLETE RESULTS |
| BEST SMALL CAR | SATURN ION |
| BEST COMPACT CAR | VW GOLF, CHRYSLER PT CRUISER, PONTIAC GRAND AM |
| BEST MID-SIZED CAR | PONTIAC BONNEVILLE/OLDS AURORA |
| BEST SMALL SPECIALTY COUPE | MINI COOPER |
| BEST MEDIUM SPECIALTY COUPE | HONDA ACCORD COUPE |
| BEST NEAR LUXE | INFINITI G35 |
| BEST LUXE CAR | MERCEDES S-CLASS, BMW 5-SERIES |
| BEST CONVERTIBLE UNDER $30K | FORD MUSTANG |
| BEST CONVERTIBLE OVER $30K | PORSCHE BOXSTER |
| BEST MINIVAN | HONDA ODYSSEY |
| BEST SMALL SUV | HYUNDAI SANTA FE |
| BEST MEDIUM SUV | TOYOTA 4RUNNER/KIA SORENTO |
| BEST LARGE SUV | FORD EXCURSION |
| BEST NEAR LUXE SUV | VOLVO XC90 |
| BEST LUXE SUV | RANGE ROVER |
| BEST COMPACT PICKUP | SUBARU BAJA |
| BEST FULL-SIZE PICKUP | CHEVY AVALANCHE |
| CORPORATE RANKING: | (OUT OF A POSSIBLE 1000 POINTS) |
| VOLKSWAGEN | 882 |
| HONDA/ACURA | 872 |
| NISSAN/INFINITI | 868 |
| TOYOTA/LEXUS | 859 |
| INDUSTRY AVERAGE | 858 |
| GM | 857 |
| FORD | 849 |
| CHRYSLER GROUP | 845 |
Randumbs
Lexus Goes To Japan
Toyota is planning to open a series of Lexus dealerships in Japan by the summer of 2005. This would be the first time the Lexus has been sold in the country where most of them have been built.
GM's transmission
GM is supposedly working on a series of front-drive six-speed automatic transmissions for use in cars ranging from the new Chevy Cobalt to the full-size Cadillacs.
GM Cuts Ion
GM cut production of the Saturn ION in June and July in order to clean up a large backlog of unsold cars.
Honda Bites Back
At a press conference in Japan, Honda president Hiroyuki Yoshino said, "They should try harder," when asked how American car companies could reclaim their loss of market share in America.
Bugs In Mexico
Just about the time this issue hits the newsstands, the very last new air-cooled VW Bug should leave its assembly line in Mexico.