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BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.

Kia decides on Mexico plant location for small car assembly

Mexico has long been a hot spot for auto manufacturing, but the country's fortunes have been boosted lately, with Honda, Mazda and Nissan recently adding factories there, and BMW is said to be poised to join them soon. Now, new reports indicate that Kia might start building south of the border to keep up with demand.
Insiders speaking to Reuters claim that the Korean automaker is very close to striking a deal to build a factory for two small models in Monterrey, Mexico, with a 300,000-vehicle annual capacity. Assembly could reportedly begin as soon as 21 months after ground is broken.
If true, Kia has done a fantastic job of keeping the deal under wraps. The only hint at anything like this brewing was a rumor last year that Hyundai may have investigation building a factory in Mexico. The company currently operates a factory in Georgia that builds the Optima and Sorento.

Car flies off Pittsburgh parkway and into auto shop parking lot

A motorist lost control of their car on a Pittsburgh freeway yesterday and, after hitting a curb, flew off the freeway and crashed into the parking lot of a local auto shop. According to KDKA, an unidentified motorist was driving along Parkway West in a Kia Optima just after noon on January 30 when they missed a sharp turn near the Campbell Road exit. The Kia hit the curb, flew into the air, smashed through Snyder Brothers' Automotive's sign, and landed nose-first in the repair shop's parking lot. "It sounded like a shower of debris hitting the floor, you know, the ground out there," owner Donald Snyder told KDKA. "We ran out there and we had 911 on the phone and he told me to check him out. We were checking him out. I looked at him, he didn't have no bruises on him, no scratches, it was amazing," Snyder told reporters that this isn't the first time a car has flown off the Parkway and into their lot. In fact, it's the eighth one in nine years. "We've had cars flip over, catch on fire. Hit the building, time and time again," said Snyder. "You know, coming down 376 and when you're in the right hand lane to exit – that's a long run. I think people, they are not prepared to make that sharp turn. Also, I think people become distracted. This fellow, he didn't even hit his brakes, he just kept going straight without turning." Snyder has reported the situation to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation numerous times. He said that PennDOT keeps putting up warning signs, but they just get destroyed by the next person who misses the corner and crashes into his lot. He told KDKA that he just wants people to be careful out on the Parkway. "Slow down and be aware of that sharp turn," said Snyder. Related Video: