Daihatsu Satisfies Germans

Daihatsu has been named the top manufacturer in this year’s German J D Power Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study. Daihatsu scored 843 points out of a possible 1000 – scoring particularly well for service satisfaction and ownership costs – and beat Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz (835 points each), BMW (834), Audi and Toyota (831 each).

The industry average score was 814, and several manufacturers struggled to get anywhere near that. The worst performer was smart on 772 points, followed by Chevrolet on 775, Fiat on 778 and Kia, Peugeot and Vauxhall/Opel all on 790.

The Daihatsu Sirion (pictured) was the highest scorer in the Small Car category. Other category winners were the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and CLK-Class, the Toyota Aygo and Corolla, the Renault Laguna, the Skoda Roomster and the Nissan Qashqai.

Overall, the top-scoring car was the Mercedes CLK-Class (pictured), followed by the BMW Z4, the Nissan Qashqai and, tied in fourth place, the Mercedes E-Class and Renault Laguna.

Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that there has been no mention so far of Lexus, which was recently named top manufacturer in the UK J D Power survey for the ninth consecutive year (see separate story). The reason is that the survey does ignores brands below a certain sample size, and Lexus, along with Chrysler, Land Rover, Porsche (yes, really), Saab and Subaru all failed to make the cut.

Daihatsu Satisfies Germans | Road Tests, Auto Features

The "expression of joy" advert featuring the blue BMW Z4 making paint trails with it’s wheels has been banned in Australia.

"BMW has been running an international television commercial in most major markets across the globe since the launch of its new Z4 roadster.

However the TV advert, which depicts a Z4 convertible driving around inside a warehouse with paint on its wheels, has drawn two complaints in Australia and has been subsequently removed.

The first complaint reads: "I would like to make a complain (sic) about and advertisement on Channel 9 screened on 12 May 09. I am referring to the BMW car advertisement that I believe would encourage car "Hoons" to spin and burn their tyres on public roads. You will have to see the full add to understand my complaint and argument. I have already complained to Channel 9."

The second complaint reads: "This is a formal complaint regarding the BMW Z4. It appeared over the weekend on Foxtel. The vehicle is shown doing 4-wheel drifts (sustained loss of traction). You can see the tyre marks in red in the second image. This is a very serious driving offence in all Australian jurisdictions. The offense attracts heavy penalties and Demerit Points."

Australia is the only television market in the world where the advert has been banned, a fact that BMW Australia’s PR & Corporate Communications Manager Toni Andreevski said was not surprising, considering that it only takes one complaint to force the Advertising Standards Bureau to take action.

Andreevski said he believed the banning of the advert on Australian television was an "overreaction", adding that BMW has a strong history of driver training in Australia."

BMW advert banned ? Car Reviews, News & Advice – CarPoint Australia

Here are the candidates for the Car of the Year award for 2010:

BMW Z4
Chevrolet Cruze
Citroën C3 Picasso
Ford Ka
Honda Insight
Hyundai i20
Hyundai ix55
Kia Sorento
Kia Soul
Land Rover Discovery IV
Lexus RX450h
Mazda 3
Mercedes E-klass
Mitsubishi Colt
Nissan 370Z
Nissan Cube
Opel/Vauxhall Astra
Peugeot 3008
Porsche Panamera
Renault Scénic
Seat Exeo
Subaru Lecagy
Suzuki Alto/Nissan Pixo
Toyota Avensis
Toyota IQ
Toyota Prius
Toyota Urban Cruiser
Toyota Verso
Volkswagen Polo

So, any opinion on what car should/will take it?

:t-drive:

“The Most Sporting Cars 2009”: the Readers of the German Motoring Magazine ”sport auto“ Award Six Class Wins to BMW Group Models.
19.06.2009 Press Release Munich/Stuttgart. Fascinating dynamics and outstanding efficiency in all vehicle segments – these are the characteristic features borne out so convincingly by the BMW Group’s current range of models. And now these outstanding qualities are reflected by the results of the readers’ survey “The Most Sporting Cars 2009” conducted by the German motoring journal ”sport auto“.
In the survey various models from BMW and MINI brought home the title in no less than six out of 16 categories for production cars, with another six models form the BMW Group also making their way to the winners’ podium in their respective class. Once again, therefore, the BMW Group plays the dominating role in the ”sport auto“ readers’ survey.
This outstanding result confirms the great reputation of BMW and MINI cars among fans of particularly sporting and dynamic automobiles. Four petrol and two diesel models have brought home the titles in the 2009 readers’ survey, with BMW Group Saloons, Coupés, Convertibles and Roadsters winning the various categories. Three out of four class wins were scored by the BMW 3 Series, including the BMW M3. The BMW 335i brought home victory in the category of saloons up to Euro
50, 000.-, the BMW 335d Coupé winning the group of diesel cars above Euro 35.000 Euro.-. And the BMW M3 Saloon, finally, was acknowledged as the “Most Sporting Saloon” in the price category up to Euro 80,000.-.
The new BMW Z4 sDrive23i Roadster made its way immediately to the top of the Convertible category up to Euro 40,000.- As in the previous year, the BMW 123d Coupé reigns unchallenged as No 1 in the category of Diesel Vehicles up to Euro 35,000.-, while in the Small Car category the MINI John Cooper Works again came home No 1, also for the second time in a row.

Titles scored by BMW Group models – an overview:
MINI John Cooper Works Winner Small Cars
BMW 130i No 3 Compact Cars
BMW 123d Coupé Winner Diesels up to Euro 35, 000.-
BMW 135i Coupé No 3 Coupés up to Euro 50, 000.-
BMW 335i Coupé No 2 Coupés up to Euro 50, 000.-
BMW 335d Coupé Winner Diesels above Euro 35, 000.-
BMW 335i Winner Saloons up to Euro 50, 000.-
BMW M3 Sedan Winner Saloons up to Euro 80, 000.-
BMW M3 Coupé No 3 Coupés up to Euro 100, 000.-
BMW M3 Convertible No 3 Convertibles up to Euro 120, 000.-
BMW Z4 sDrive23i Winner Convertibles up to Euro 40, 000.-
BMW Z4 sDrive35i No 3 Convertibles up to Euro 60, 000.-

He likes it.

To understand why a racing drive would hate the Z4, click below to read the rest of the article:

Jeremy Clarkson BMW Z4 sDrive35i review | Driving – Times Online