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The current number of 7 million members is down more than 1 million out of the 8.4 million Consumer Reports subscribers in 2014, according to its annual report. Sales revenue from subscriptions and newsstand sales increased from $ 234.2 million in 2013 to $ 205.5 million in 2013.
In recent years, the group has reduced costs membership and subscription, resulting in layoffs. He is now facing formidable competitors, such as The Wirecutter, which is now owned by the New York Times and has a younger readership.
The group has also suffered its share of criticism and controversy over the years.
Japanese automaker Suzuki sued the group in 1996 following an unfavorable review of the Suzuki Samurai. Both parties settled and the case was dismissed.
Then another Japanese automaker, Isuzu, filed his own lawsuit for a negative check on Private Isuzu. The automaker won the case, but a jury refused to award him damages.
Isuzu and Consumer Reports both claimed victory as a result of the decision
. review, arguing that it had hurt sales. The case was rejected.
The group also had to retract a report on the baby car seats in 2007, after it was revealed that there were problems with the test data .
The leaders of the automotive industry see the group with a mixture of respect. Fear and frustration
The group plays an important role in the auto market and it does it well, said Johan de Nysschen, a longtime automotive executive who has led Audi, Infiniti and, more recently, Cadillac. He said he heard from executives with whom he worked in the past that about 60% of all luxury vehicle buyers consult the publication before finalizing their own purchases
"First, because of the impact they have, considers them respectfully, "said Nysschen. "But I would also say that Consumer Reports is not the only repository of automotive knowledge that they like to think about, and that this can sometimes create some irritation among automakers."
In a sense, that is commendable Consumer Reports wants to stay away from car manufacturers whose products they evaluate, said Nysschen. However, it is sometimes difficult for companies to explain the details of their products or put things in context.
In response, Fisher stated that the group had an open door policy with car manufacturers.
As a person who has spent much of his career in high-end brands, Nysschen said that he thought the group's views on luxury vehicles were being influenced a little too much by the price. partly because of the supposed excellence of the product, but also because of the reality of the intangible value of brands, and I think that is an important consideration for buyers, it is this that they want to buy. Do not recognize the appearance of the brand as much as they should. "
Fisher said that Nysschen is right in saying that Consumer Reports does not evaluate brands, which is important for many customers." He also does not evaluate the style, which is Also important for many buyers.But he said that he does not think the group is unfairly evaluating luxury carmakers.For example, the group highly appreciated the luxury vehicles of Audi and Genesis
The group also sometimes has difficult relations with national automakers.
"Over time, some methods of investigation have been controversial." Have sometimes been accused of pro-import bias and anti- American, "said Lutz. "I personally observed this 20 years ago, but I think that's no longer the case."
In 2006, for example, Lori Queen, then General Manager of GM, criticized the Chevrolet Cobalt Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM at the time, apologized: [TRADUCTION] "They form the group the less professional with whom I've ever worked, "Queen wrote at the time in an email to Automotive News. "They are completely nonobjective and go to extremes to paint a picture for their paying readers, who buy mainly Japanese cars, they do not take into account differences in price or price, they do not take into account the preferences of they were able to find (in general) the cheapest car and then base their opinion on a limited sample. "
The group replied that it had simply examined the data and determined which cars were the most expensive. performance.
have a lot of imports at the top of his lists. But in recent years, US vehicles have also achieved very good results. The 2018 Chevrolet Impala received a commendation – it is on the list of the top 10 cars of 2018. The Ford Fusion hybrid sedan is also recommended, as are the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 [19659002] pickup trucks. Domestic industry has changed tremendously, "Fisher said. Detroit was trying to compete with imports only on price, rather than on quality and performance, he added. But that has changed. The Big 3 have invested heavily in improving their vehicles, and he has begun to show, he said.
"It's a completely different market," he said. "It's not just about picking up the Japanese car, because you think it's the reliable car, you have to go see the Koreans, you have to look at the servants."
When automakers rebuffed the consumer's methods or results reports, the magazine tried to be as transparent as possible and explain its choices, Fisher said. Over time, many automakers have come around.
"Generally, when we find a problem, they repair it," he said. "They listen to us and they sort it out, we've seen it over and over again with several automakers."
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