If you’re old enough, you no doubt remember the old jokes about auto manufacturers with less than stellar reputations for reliability. Italy’s Fiat stood for “Fix it again, Tony” and the ultimate American auto maker, Ford, stood for “fix or repair daily.”
We’re still not sure what the difference between fixing something and repairing it is, but clearly these jokes have become old and dated. (We do think we know the difference between what “old” and “dated” means. however.) It’s true that Fiat — which actually stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino — is having its share of troubles after coming to the rescue of Chrysler and then being subjected to the whims of history via the current economic and political turbulence in Italy. Its cars, however stand strong. Meanwhile, although efficiency-boosting Ford performance chips continue to sell well in the aftermarket, that’s no knock at all against the U.S. automotive giant. Ford autos are now widely seen as some of the finest performing low-and-mid price cars on the market.
In fact, in a survey result that would have been unimaginable a decade or two prior, Ford has gained significant ground on the company whose name was once synonymous with thoughtful reliability, Toyota. Of course, that company’s reputation took a giant PR hit a few years back when it was beset by serious allegations about the safety of some of its best known vehicles. Nevertheless, the fact that Consumer Reports’ 2011 Car Brand Perception Survey placed the American automaker only three points behind its Japanese competitor, a statistically insignificant difference, says a huge amount about how much things have changed for the company founded by Henry Ford.
Of course, some of that is due to the glowing reviews Ford Motor has generated from such sources as Consumer Reports, which wrote that the auto maker posted the biggest improvements in the field for reliability and road testing. Another big part of that is the automaker has been able to rebound in the wake of the 2008 U.S. economic collapse without a gigantic federal bailout. Although the company suffered some criticism for alleged hypocrisy after a commercial dared to point out that fact, but failed to mention that the company had benefitted from some crucial help from the U.S. government, it was a fact they almost didn’t need to advertise. Auto buyers remember.
The bottom line seems simple, Ford is a company that will be with us for sometime. Despite a tough economy, it appears there will be no need for a special economic aftermarket Ford performance chip to boost its sales any time soon.