America is said to have the highest standards for vehicles, so what are cars like in Australia, UK and Europe?

Question

Americans are said to have set the highest standards for safety and quality for vehicles, and yet we still think they are relatively unreliabe. Several European car makers have tried to enter the US market, but could not keep up to standards. So, what are the cars like where you live?

Answer 1

Says who??! Americans?!

Here in the UK, American cars are perceived to be of poor build quality (inside and out), unreliable and completely incapable of negotiating corners due to using archaic chassis / suspension technology! In fairness, a lot of American cars are good to look at (if not a little ostentatious....) and capable of being quick in a straight line.

The Germans are the ones who are the benchmark when it comes to build quality and driveability - whilst the Japanese are the reliability kings.

The Americans are catching up as they aim to compete with more of the European market - but they are still way behind companies like BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, etc.

Answer 2

So they say that America has high standards? Who are 'they'? And where did you find this information - that 'they' think the US has the highest safety or quality standards?
I don't have a particular preference of manufacturers - I have owned GM, Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Jeep, Audi, and Volkswagon products. As I understand it, there exists a general consensus amongst automotive engineers and critics alike that the highest safety standards have been set/met by the Europeans (think Volvo, Mercedes, BMW). As far as quality goes, Asian and European standards far surpass those of most north american manufacturers (here think Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Volvo, Mercedes, Lexus, infinity, etc). I know that a few companies have tried unsuccessfully to compete in the North American markets but one should be careful not to stereotype. Each manufacturer should be looked at independantly and judgedbased on their own successes/failures not lumped in with all other companies that exist in that geographic region. After all, there have been failed vehicles and companies that are from North America as well - for models: Edsel, Pinto, Cimarron, Aztec, just to list a few) and for manufactureres: Delorean, Bricklin, Studebaker, AMC, Rambler, and who-knows-how-many other small companies. Overall, the US has high standards and the domestic companies have a fairly good record when it comes to reliability and safety BUT there are other manufacturers that consistently exceed the US norms.

Answer 3

Our cars, usually have a smaller "revier" engine and the cars have good cornering attributes due to the winding roads. European cars seem be better looking, amercian cars are a little generic

Answer 4

I went to Torino, Italy last April.....everyone drove Fiat's.....but of course the Fiat factory's there!