As President Barack Obama announced today, his administration believes that General Motors can restructure and be successful, but the president said Chrysler needs a partner to survive.
If you're wondering what, in the White House's opinion, separates the two companies' pursuits of success, there are several answers.
Chrysler is a smaller company, while GM has "a much more substantial collection of assets," a senior administration official told reporters on a conference call this weekend.
Here's one measure the government's auto task force used to determine the value of those assets that Mike Allen of the Politico called the "Consumer Reports Factor."
"If you look at things like Consumer Reports' ranking of cars, you'll see very great differences between those two companies," the White House official said. "Chrysler has zero cars, no cars that are recommended by Consumer Reports."
That administration official was correct, no Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep models are recommended by Consumer Reports.
To be Consumer Reports recommended, a vehicle must have performed well in CR's tests, have average or better reliability, and, if crash-tested, provide good overall safety. This safety rating is a composite of accident avoidance from our testing and crash protection, based on insurance-industry and government crash tests. (Watch our videos about how CR tests cars.)
But CR's car experts did find some bright spots for Chrysler. In our Report Card for Detroit, Chrysler got this assessment:
Chrysler needs to give its model line a major overhaul and raise its reliability, interiors, fuel economy, and overall refinement up to the level of its styling.
That might have begun. Our initial impressions of the redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram pickup we're testing are mostly positive, and the ride is markedly improved. Newer Chrysler models, such as the Dodge Journey and Ram, have higher-quality interiors.
On the other hand, several recent GM models have performed well in Consumer Reports testing and have average or better predicted reliability.
The Chevrolet Avalanche was a Consumer Reports Top Pick in the pickup truck category, and other models fare well in their classes.
However, just 17 percent of the GM models tested meet the criteria to be recommended.
By contrast, 70 percent of models from Ford, Detroit's least endangered car company, are recommended by Consumer Reports.
The Report Card's look at GM's future:
GM needs to maintain the overall performance and quality it has shown in its newer models while developing a stronger line of small vehicles and raising its reliability to a more consistently high level.
The company is developing more efficient gasoline engines, using direct injection and turbocharging to help achieve a better balance of power and fuel economy. Its more fuel-efficient two-mode hybrid technology is expected to be available on more models. And it's investing heavily in electric powertrains, such as that in the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, and in fuel-cell technology.
GM's next generation of small cars, including the Chevrolet Cruze, looks promising. And the company is active in developing interactive traffic-safety systems, wireless service checks, and other advanced applications.
If you're looking for the best makes from domestic companies, our 2009 list of American top picks is here.
Visit the Consumer Reports Cars page for all of our testing results, recommendations, and buying advice.
