Our previous blog centered on Ford’s 2009 compact SUVs, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, earning 5 Star ratings from the National Highway Safety Administration and bettering the 4 Stars averaged by Toyota’s compact SUVs, the Toyota Highlander and Toytoa Prius hybrids. David Finnegan from Ford was quoted in The Detroit News as saying, “Safety is a top purchase consideration, second only to fuel efficiency, so Escape’s five-star safety ratings and best-in-class highway fuel economy are a winning combination.” I’m sure Mr. Finnegan’s comments were based on consumer surveys ranking purchase factors, likely taken after oil hit the formerly unprecedented $45.00 per barrel mark about 2 years ago. If so, perhaps history skewed the results! I doubt that you will find many people including Mr. Finnegan and Ford who, when asked straight up, would respond that saving gas would rank number one over saving lives. Survey results are tricky. Surveys are Descriptive Statistics based on sample groups which don’t always mirror the general population. The questions can be misleading and the % of return can affect the accuracy. Most of all, people’s responses on a survey often reflect emotion and hypothetical situations – quite different from reality. Business decisions based on survey results sometimes are disastrous. (Sorry – couldn’t resist – I have a bit of a research background!)
Tags: Compact SUVs, Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Prius
Posted in Ford, Safety, Toyota
Ford needs to start making a better looking bunch of cars, and with better quality, otherwise it will be gone in 10 years.