Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Customer satisfaction study puts Big 3 in top five, Cadillac tied for No. 1 with Lexus]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/18/customer-satisfaction-study-puts-big-3-in-top-five-cadillac-tie/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/18/customer-satisfaction-study-puts-big-3-in-top-five-cadillac-tie/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/18/customer-satisfaction-study-puts-big-3-in-top-five-cadillac-tie/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon - Click above for high-res image gallery

The American Customer Satisfaction Index for automakers from the University of Michigan is being released today, and sitting at the very top are Cadillac and Lexus in a two-way tie for first place. The study continues its Detroit lovefest by giving the third spot to a tie-up of Lincoln-Mercury, Buick and Honda. And that moves us into spot No. 7, where Toyota shows up in a tie with Volkswagen.

Great news for American automakers? Great fodder for the marketing departments at least. Automotive News (sub. req.) quotes Claes Fornell, the director of the MSU's National Quality Research Center as saying the great leap in customer satisfaction is, oddly enough, at least partially due to a huge drop in sales. Fornell says that the few people buying American cars are hardcore American car drivers, and are more likely to respond as satisfied to a survey.

The good news, Fornell says, is that a smaller, more devoted group of buyers is more likely to be repeat buyers. In a New York Times story, Fornell says, "In most cases that's not a good thing, to increase the satisfaction of their customers by losing them. But in Detroit's case, it's probably not that bad. It leaves them with a smaller, more satisfied customer base that they might be able to manage better and build from."

In the study, Volkswagen was the most improved, bettering its placement by 6.2% from last year, and Ford jumped 5%.

A table of scores since 1996 is available here and should be updated sometime today with 2009 numbers.


Gallery: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon


[Sources: Automotive News and The New York Times]

Customer satisfaction study puts Big 3 in top five, Cadillac tied for No. 1 with Lexus originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors and the University of Michigan have been working together on vehicle technology for 50 years, and a new institute will take the long-standing relationship to the next level. GM researchers will work with U of M faculty and students to develop new battery, engine, manufacturing, and smart materials technology to expedite the advancement of cars and trucks.

One of the initiatives at the new GM/U-M Institute of Automotive Research and Education is to develop new fuel injection technologies that will improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The engine program will also work on homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) tech that will improve fuel economy by up to 15%. HCCI tech enables the gasoline engine to act more like a diesel engine by using high compression to ignite the fuel-air mixture.

Smart materials research will work to create materials that can respond to changing conditions or external stimuli, replacing mechanically operated vehicle components. Perhaps the biggest collaboration will come from battery research. The institute will work to improve battery reliability and performance. U of M will also likely be able to pursue additional research funding from the government, which should help both the school and GM. Hit the jump to view the GM press release.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading GM and U of M create new institute for research

GM and U of M create new institute for research originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 May 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an effort to prevent deadly accidents like the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis in 2007, a project led by the University of Michigan is developing various sensing systems that will eventually lead to the development of "smart bridges." Most bridge monitoring today is done visually. Unfortunately, this type of human inspection is often unable to determine the structural health of a bridge with regards to the effects of corrosion, heavy loads, or vibrations on the structure over time.

The new five-year project, with a price tag of $19 million, will develop a sophisticated infrastructure monitoring system to be installed on several test bridges. The innovative systems include electrically-conductive concrete (changes in conductivity along the span would signal a weakness), wireless nodes to monitor unusual vibrations, and a nanotube-based "sensing skin" to detect cracks and corrosion. Sensor-laden vehicles would also travel the bridge to measure the span's reaction to heavy loads.

The real-time monitoring is beneficial, but there are more wide-scale plans for the technology. Jerome Lynch, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says that if the program were to be rolled-out nationwide, researchers would be able to make statistical comparisons between bridges. This type of data would help engineers develop safer spans to prevent future disasters.

[Source: University of Michigan, image by UMTRI)

Smart bridges that keep tabs on condition being developed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lane departure sensors and adaptive cruise control have helped to prevent accidents and save lives, and new technology from the University of Michigan hopes to take the those ideas to the next level. U of M's Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System warns drivers if they're about to hit another vehicle while changing lanes; if they're about to leave the road; and if they're going to rear-end another vehicle. The system improves on existing technology by integrating data from video, radio sensors and GPS to warn drivers of dangerous situations and give them the path of least possible harm.

The university secured over $32M in funding from state and local governments plus several corporations, which will pay for the testing of 16 passenger cars and 10 commercial trucks equipped with the system. IIHS predicts that tens of thousands of lives will be saved each year if lane departure and forward crash systems are improved, so here's to hoping the Wolverines have a smash hit on their hands. No pun intended.

[Source: Detroit News]

University of Michigan to test crash-avoidance system originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 May 2008 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accident avoidanceAccidentAvoidanceadaptive cruise controlAdaptiveCruiseControlIIHSLane departureLaneDepartureUniversity of MichiganUniversityOfMichiganSat, 03 May 2008 17:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Score another one for Detroit: Domestics make gains in customer satisfaction]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/14/score-another-one-for-detroit-domestics-make-gains-in-customer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/14/score-another-one-for-detroit-domestics-make-gains-in-customer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/14/score-another-one-for-detroit-domestics-make-gains-in-customer/#commentsThe University of Michigan's National Quality Research Center released its American Customer Satisfaction Index today, which found that in general customer satisfaction has slightly increased this year in the automotive industry, and specifically domestic automakers have gained ground on their import competitors. While Lexus leads all brands with a score of 87 out of 100, Cadillac (86), Buick (86) and Lincoln-Mercury (86) all came within spitting distance of Toyota's luxury leader. Toyota and Honda, meanwhile, slid compared to last year, both achieving a score of 84. While improving, Ford (80), Chevy (82) and Dodge (80) still have a gap to close on their Japanese competitors.

These scores actually mirror closely the rankings in J.D. Power and Associates recently released 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study, and one would assume a customer's satisfaction with his or her vehicle has something to do with its dependability. That study saw Lexus tied with Buick for first place, with Cadillac, Lincoln and Mercury not far behind, as well.

[Source: University of Michigan, Automotive News]

Score another one for Detroit: Domestics make gains in customer satisfaction originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UPDATE: Link to source finally added. Our bad.


A tip sent us to the blog of Dr. Mark J. Perry, professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan, who points out that hourly union workers at the Big 3 make on average 57.6% more in a year than a university professor with a Ph.D. Using figures from the automakers themselves, Dr. Perry tells us that a union worker at Ford makes $141,020/year including wages and benefits. A worker at General Motors makes $146,520/year and one at Chrysler earns $151,720/year. According to another report he cites, the average annual salary for a college professor in 2006 was $92,973, which happens to be close to the $96,000/year a Honda, Nissan or Toyota worker makes in the U.S.

Why trot out all these numbers? It's clear that upcoming negotiations between the Big 3 and UAW will likely yield concessions in both wages and healthcare costs. They have to if the U.S. auto industry is to survive. Dr. Perry references those who say the concessions must be "transformational", and to illustrate what that means, he suggests that Union workers would have to accept a wage equal to that of a college professor with a Ph.D.

We get that union auto workers are overpaid, we really do. Dr. Perry, however, seems to imply that there's something inherently wrong with a Ph.D professor making less than a high-school educated auto worker. The wage of a union auto worker, however, should come down because it's artificially high, not because the social order of education dictates that those with Ph.Ds should earn more than those who only finished high school. But hey, maybe we're being too sensitive.

[Source: Carpe Diem]

U of M Economics professor tackles tough question of UAW wages originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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