Aug 26
CWB, Canwest, Associated Press and the US Govt. - wrong!
Well one of our members took some time and discovered were Aaron found his information concerning Edmonds.com’s Clunker list.
CNNMoney.com senior reporter Peter Vaides-Dapena sums up the accounting diferences as “Edmonds.com uses traditional sales measurements, tallying sales by make and model. The Government uses a more arcane measurement that subdivides models according to engine and transmission types” ….” Edmonds.com “Top ten Clunker Buys” list is based on transaction data collected directly from dealers”.
“The Ford Escape crossover SUV, instead of being the seventh most popular vehicle under the program, as the Govt ranked it, was actually the best according to Edmonds.com”
“The Truth About Cars” writer Robert Farago also picked up on this issue. And compares the two lists . He writes that “the DOT (Govt) manipulated the data to hide the fact that a brace of SUVs and pickup trucks made the top ten; the Cash for Clunkers program is supposed to be about saving the environment”
Here are the two sets of rankings.
So in retrospect, yes, we might have jumped the gun and assumed that GM and Chrysler were not profiting from the program, ( as did every major newspaper and media outlet across Canada) but it has not changed our opinion that unless the Canadian and U.S. Govts adopt “protectionist” policies to ensure that the public purchases GM and Chrysler products, it is only a matter of time before they come back for more money.
Another issue is why Edmonds reported this information through CNNMoney but did not appear to have any posting of such on its own Website?
