Uploaded on YouTube on January 1st by Chevrolet, the “Chevy Surprises Competitive Owners When It Comes To Reliability” was unlisted because it’s absurd on so many levels. Adding insult to injury, the golden bowtie claims it’s more reliable than Ford, Honda, and Toyota.
The claim is based on an Ipsos survey for 2015 MY vehicles, which can be read on ChevyReliability.com. The thing is, once you open the website, you’re met with PR jibber-jabber instead of the survey.
No fewer than 840,979 letter invitations were e-mailed, and 48,679 respondents replied to Ipsos with their information. Brands included in the survey range from Acura to Volvo, including the likes of BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Subaru.
Care to guess how Chevrolet defines reliability in this particular situation? “The percentage of vehicle owners who reported they have not repaired or replaced any vehicle components in the past 12 months,” excluding consumables such as fluids, filters, and repairs related to accidents and collisions.
Turning our attention back to the ad, a disclaimer around the five-second mark reads “real Ford, Honda, and Toyota owners. Not actors.” Do you also get the feeling that Chevrolet is trying too hard to look better than the competition? It sure feels like it, more so if you take a look at reliability studies from Consumer Reports and other nonprofit outlets.
Speaking of Consumer Reports, care to guess what the magazine says about the Equinox, Silverado 1500, Traverse, and Malibu? In every case, things aren’t looking good for Chevrolet, not by a long shot. What’s more, the Silverado 1500 was recalled not that long ago despite the fact it rolled out for the 2019 model year.
When the final wraps come off the vehicles in the ad, a certain gentleman (who looks like an actor) concludes that “Chevy is more reliable than Toyota, Honda, and Ford.” In the 2019 Consumer Reports rankings, the golden bowtie ranked 23rd among 29 brands evaluated, making Chevrolet the seventh-worst overall in terms of reliability.
The Traverse (featured in the ad) and previous generation of the Silverado 2500 HD were two of the poorest-scoring vehicles according to Consumer Reports. Why are we insisting with CR instead of the Ipsos survey? There’s no other way of saying this, but we’re talking about 500,000-plus replies against fewer than 49,000.
Given these circumstances, it shouldn’t come as a surprise Chevrolet unlisted the YouTube video following a bucketload of criticism for lying to prospective and their own customers. Thanks to this ad, we’re guessing that people who watched it will go to Toyota, Honda, or Ford for their next purchase.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News