Mike Rutherford's column

11th April 2007

	Jeep has been warned for years about its poor designs and appallingly cheap interiors – now it’s the worst firm in the UK selling cars

QUESTION: Who are the best in the world at building mass-produced cars? Answer: the Japanese and the Germans! Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that every company from Japan and Germany is a winner. Far from it. Suzuki and Mercedes-owned Smart, for example, have each suffered disturbing loss of form lately, and both can now consider themselves stuck in the bottom 10 of the major firms who sell cars in Britain.

But still, it has to be acknowledged that these two bad apples are the exception to the rule. In the global top 10, six are Japanese (Lexus, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota and Daihatsu), and in the top 15, five are German (Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Volkswagen). The humble Swedes can consider themselves the next best on the planet, thanks to the efforts of often overlooked Volvo and, to a lesser extent, Saab. In fourth place, it's the South Koreans (courtesy of Kia and Hyundai), followed by the Czech Republic (Skoda, of course), then Britain (thanks to Jaguar). All the above feature in the top half of car-producing companies/countries and should be proud of that fact.

But in the bottom half sit no fewer than four US outfits (Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet and Jeep); three Japanese set-ups (Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki), three Brits (Land Rover, Vauxhall, Lotus); the three French brands (Citroen, Renault, Peugeot); the Italian duo (Alfa and Fiat) plus Smart. MINI is in the wrong half of the table too, although I'm never quite sure if this is a German company or a British one. (The Germans own it, the Brits make the cars!)

But while the firm controlled by BMW in Munich goes backwards, little Citroen is moving in the opposite direction, because it's more improved than anyone else and shames Renault and Peugeot who are both sad, bottom five material. Below this French pair are Chevrolet, then temperamental Fiat, with Jeep the lowest of the low. The legendary firm has been warned for years that its nondescript exterior designs and appallingly cheap interiors were dragging it down, but it failed to smell the coffee. Now it's in a worse shape than any other mainstream manufacturer selling models in the UK today.

On a more positive note, 97 per cent of Skoda and Honda customers would buy the cars again - a huge compliment to both marques. The figure for Smart, though, is only 75 per cent. And I'm not surprised, after blowing the engine of one of these little cars during a long but gentle motorway run.

I have mixed emotions on the Brit front: Lotus, like Suzuki and MINI, seems to be going downhill fast. Vauxhall needs to be careful since it's stagnating and can't quite climb out of the bottom 10. I'm more optimistic about Land Rover, because it's fast improving and has finally replaced the Freelander with a much better model, while the Defender has been revolutionised. And the Czech Republic deserves a mention as it's the greatest car-producing centre in Eastern Europe, thanks entirely to Skoda.

If some of the above facts, figures and opinions please you, that's great. If you're offended by them, it's nothing personal. But really, you can't dispute the findings. I've taken them from the latest and best Driver Power survey published two weeks ago in this magazine. So it's you who has placed the car-producing countries and companies - good and bad - in the positions they are in today. And d'you know what? You got it just about spot-on.

Mike Rutherford writes for the Times, Daily Telegraph and Independent, presents ITV’s Pulling Power and is founder member of the Motorists’ Association

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