Honda and three other Japanese automakers swept Consumer Reports magazine’s annual list of top new cars and trucks for the first time Wednesday as U.S. and European companies failed to rank among the U.S. industry’s best.
Five of the autos chosen as “top picks” in 10 categories are sold by Honda, including the Civic and Accord sedans, the U.S. magazine said in its April issue. Toyota and Subaru each had two models on the list. Nissan’s Infiniti M35 was named top luxury sedan.
The rankings were released as Toyota and Honda padded their market-share gains against U.S. rivals. Honda’s February U.S. sales rose 8.7 percent, helping Asian carmakers capture a 37 percent market share, up 0.9 percentage point from a year ago. Sales rose 2.4 percent for Toyota and 2.2 percent for Nissan.
GM and Ford said they will cut second-quarter production in North America as demand for their SUVs and trucks has slumped. GM’s sales declined 2.5 percent last month and Ford’s slid 4 percent, as industrywide sales rose 0.6 percent to 1.26 million, according to Autodata Corp.
The annual auto ranking from Yonkers, N.Y.- based Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, is among the most influential new-vehicle guides in the U.S. Consumer Reports has 4 million subscribers, making it the seventh-largest U.S. magazine, based on Audit Bureau of Circulations data.
“Toyota and Honda’s core customers are people in their 30s and 40s who really rely on Consumer Reports,” said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst with Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Mass.
Over the past decade, Toyota, the world’s second-biggest automaker behind GM, and Honda, No. 3 in Japan, have had the highest number of top picks in the magazine. From 1997 to 2006, Toyota models held 34 top spots, and Hondas were selected 27 times. Ford has had eight top picks since 1997. Eight Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz models have been among the top picks since 1997.
Consumer Reports conducts 50 separate tests of vehicles evaluated for the annual guide. “Each top pick has to be a recommended model, and it must have average or better-than-average reliability,” said Rik Paul, the magazine’s automotive editor.
“For the U.S. automakers not to have a single model in the top 10 has to be a little disheartening,” Lindland said. “The domestic automakers have improved their quality, but the challenge is (that) the bar keeps moving.”
Top-rated cars and trucks
Detroit was left out in the cold in Consumer Reports’ list of best vehicles for 2006:
Sedans
Less than $20,000:
Honda Civic
$20,000-$30,000:
Honda Accord
$30,000-$40,000:
Acura TL
Luxury: Infiniti M35
Sport utility
Less than $30,000:
Subaru Forester
More than $30,000: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Others
Minivan: Honda Odyssey
Pickup: Honda Ridgeline
Green car: Toyota Prius
Fun to drive: Subaru
Impreza WRX/STi
