Dear Truck Trend,

I identified with Mr. Reed's sentiments in his American Compacts "Emissions Check" entry (January/February 2010). Being in a similar age bracket, I can remember the U.S. steel industry's demise. I can also bear witness to the idiotic design choices the American car industry has made in the last three decades or so. However, I don't think the "bigger is better" mentality is so totally to blame for lost American car sales. I point Mr. Reed and other interested readers to page 154 of Consumer Reports' 2010 buying guide, "CR Best of the Best & Worst of the Worst" table. The keen observer will note that foreign vehicles dominate the Best of the Best columns and domestic vehicles dominate the Worst of the Worst columns. That one table says it all.

Scott Oakley
Phoenix, Arizona

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Dear Reader,

We certainly appreciate your frustration with what's going on with American automakers, but it's important to note that some of the negative opinions toward American cars and trucks are based on perception rather than reality. Consumer Reports bases its best and worst charts on past tests (with scores given on a 100-point scale), and while the quality of American vehicles has improved greatly over the last several years, it's going to take a while for that to be reflected elsewhere.

--Truck Trend

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