It has become as predictable as a Manchester United Premier League victory – Asia is once again dominating the Consumer Reports’ annual rankings of cars and light trucks.
Honda has been named the top carmaker for the third year in a row, while the Toyota Lexus LS460 has scooped the award for best overall vehicle.
Indeed Toyota stole the show with victories in numerous categories including best mid-size SUV, small SUV, minivan and green car. Once again the Toyota Prius scooped the top award in the green car category.
In fact there were only two changes in the vehicle rankings from 2008 to 2009 with the Chevrolet Avalanche displacing the Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab as best pick-up truck. The Toyota Highlander also took top spot in the midsize SUV section away from Hyundai’s Santa Fe.
Indeed it was disappointing news for US car manufacturers overall with Honda finishing first as the best overall manufacturer closely followed by fellow Japanese companies Subaru, Toyota and Mazda respectively. German automakers Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW tied with Nissan in fifth place. Poor old Chrysler meanwhile, came in last.
