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Having a hard time telling if your neighbors are voting Obama or McCain? Kelley Blue Book suggests that the vehicle they drive may be a strong indicator of whom they plan on casting a ballot for next week.

Wow, the pollsters really are delving into the minutiae this year. Just like animals can tend to look like their owners, it seems something can be learned about a person's voting preference based solely on their wheels. In the absence of yard signs, t-shirts, or vehement streetside arguments to give you a hint what the Joneses' will be doing in the voting booth, consider these trends as reported by Detroit Free Press:

McCain, they say, enjoys strong support from domestic cars, SUV and pickup owners. Just like their experienced candidate, some of these platforms (and their technology) have been around for decades. While they may not drive with the eloquence or dance with the panache of the democratic rival, they are proven, solid, meat-and-potatoes kinda vehicles that Americans trust. Some Americans, anyway.

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Obama voters, it seems, "tend to own foreign makes, smaller cars, and hybrids." You know, automotive elitists, just like their wildly popular candidate. What's more, some of these vehicles, especially the European ones - GASP! - are produced in countries where socialists reign. Forced to develop fuel-sipping technologies due to high petrol prices years ago, these vehicles are enjoying sudden favor as the American market and worker are brought to their knees by a nonstop succession of financial crises.

We ask you this: with irrefutable economic changes forcing many Americans to abandon their guzzling SUVs and trucks in favor smaller cars and hybrids, might the rapidly changing vehicular trends be a harbinger of election results next week?

We at TheCarConnection.com do NOT endorse a candidate. We are too obsessed (and too busy) traveling, writing, and wrenching on cars for pesky political endorsements. We'd gladly get engaged in a Traverse vs. Flex, or Highlander vs. Pilot argument, but we'll leave the politics to the politicos.

What do you drive, and how do you think it does or does not fit into KBB's trends as mentioned above? And just what would a Nader voter drive?--Colin Mathews
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Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.

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We reported earlier today about Ford Motor Company's solid reliability ratings in Consumer Reports' 2008 Annual Car Reliability Survey. Says Consumer Reports, "on average, Ford continues to build the most reliable American cars." But the comprehensive test also revealed that reliability of European makes is on the rise and that fuel-efficient vehicles represented with largely superior reliability. These findings and others were presented today at an Automotive Press Association Lunch in Detroit, Michigan.

Again, Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury "continue to pull away from the rest of Detroit," good news that Ford should proudly claim in this hostile market, and hopefully a harbinger of the quality and reliability of its upcoming European-derived models like the 2011 Ford Fiesta. Says CR, "Ford’s reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers." The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, notably sharing production and design with the new Mazda6, rank among the top family cars in reliability, and the new Focus sedan has risen dramatically since its debut in 2000 to now rank as above average.

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Long plagued with quality issues, European brands like Mercedes-Benz are finally improving. That automaker’s C-Class, E-Class V-6, and ML350 SUV have improved to average reliability, placing them in Consumer Report’s "recommended" category. Three more Mercedes models made it to the average reliability level. This is in contrast to last year, when Mercedes made no models that even managed an average score.

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Even with the improvements, roughly one third of Mercedes’ products have reliability problems, with no models scoring above average. With that storied brand trying to bring diesel back to America, qualms about their reliability doesn't bolster an argument for a fuel the U.S. abandoned in the passenger car market 20-odd years ago. Audi presented a better story, also the purveyor of new diesels for it's '09 lineup, with two-thirds of its fleet scoring average or better, and most of BMW's 3 Series and 5 Series also scoring average or better. A Ford-owned Volvo made strides, leaving only the XC70 wagon rated below average.

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As to the excellent reliability of fuel-efficient vehicles, the big story from Consumer Reports is in the gasoline/electric hybrid segment. Hybrid leader Toyota Motor Company scored high with its Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Lexus GS450h hybrid sedans, as well as its Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander hybrid SUVs. Nissan’s Altima hybrid rated highly in the sedan category, and Ford scored yet another reliability win with its Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid small SUV twins, which scored above average in predicted reliability. Finally, in the hybrid realm, the Honda Civic Hybrid, with its Integrated Motor Assist, scored above average.

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Following the Japanese-heavy solid reliability stories with hybrids and fuel efficient vehicles, Japanese brands in general scored tops in reliability in Consumer Reports’ annual survey, and lead a staggering 15 of 16 categories in the organization's predicted reliability ratings. We’re used to this story from Japanese brands, though some of their newer ventures like the Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Nissan Armada, and Infiniti QX56 SUV have been marked exceptions to their high-quality habits. Last year’s Toyota Camry also had significant reliability problems, but the brand seems to to have these issues on the mend as they did score above average once more in the '08 survey. The Nissan vehicles mentioned "showed striking improvements" with the troubled models gaining average reliability. New products from Nissan such as the Rogue small SUV and the similarly sized Infiniti EX crossover have begun their product cycles with above average reliability, helping Nissan and Infiniti enjoy overall improvements in their rankings versus last year.

South Korean companies Hyundai and Kia also rank highly, scoring about even with the Japanese makers mentioned above. The majority of their models scored at least above average.

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GM models were "a mixed bag," according to Consumer Reports. They spanned the range from above average for the 4-cylinder Chevrolet Malibu, average for the V-6 model of the same vehicle, and above-average ratings for the Buick Lucerne V-8 and four-cylinder Pontiac G6 (cousin to the Chevrolet Malibu). Chevrolet’s Avalanche has moved up to an average ranking, but a solid one-quarter of GM’s models are "still well below average." Sadly, models that performed well in Consumer Reports' testing regimen, such as the Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook, rang in with reliability that was below average.

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But the worst reliability story come from the now Cerberus-owned Chrysler. While the newer platform-mates Dodge Caliber and Jeep Patriot small SUVs made respectable above-average ratings, nearly two-thirds of Chrysler’s products were solidly below average. The Pentastar's bread-and-butter minivans, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, which are claimed by many to be perhaps their most valuable products next to the new 2009 Ram pickup, earned low scores from Consumer Reports. Also scoring low for Chrysler were its Jeep Liberty, Dodge Avenger, and Chrysler Sebring V-6. Scoring abysmally low was the Chrysler Sebring Convertible, earning the worst predicted reliability score that was calculated at a whopping 283 percent lower than average--not good numbers for a car company that’s struggling for existence.

It’s a good day when we can report that an American manufacturer like Ford, whose future is at stake just like competitors GM and Chrysler, is at least turning out reliable, well-built cars that can compete on the same ground as the Japanese. Changing consumer opinion is a longer, tougher road, but with large agencies like Consumer Reports lending their support, perhaps the tides will change for Ford, which has recently seen stock prices drop to desperately low 1980s levels, leading some of its largest stockholders like tycoon Kirk Kerkorian to consider the sale of his entire holdings of Ford stock.

Fresher European-sourced products are quickly on the way for Ford, as consumers and the media have long complained about Ford’s decision not to bring the excellent European Focus platform to America. Instead, we persist with the 8-year-old Focus platform spruced up only with styling and sheetmetal changes. If they can keep up the quality story with the new European products that are sized right for the times (and enjoy commensurately smaller consumption), Ford may be poised for a slow but sure comeback as long as the stock market and credit crisis begin a resolution. And that's a big "if."--Colin Mathews

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"Vorsprung durch Technik"--that's German for "Advancement Through Technology," a concept that Audi espouses in promoting new technologies such as HD Radio as standard equipment on many of its model-year 2011 lineup. The German automaker, who shares a U.S. headquarters with Volkswagen in Herndon, Virginia, announced yesterday that its luxury vehicles with HD Radio will offer "the best in digital broadcast engineering, top-of-the-line AM/FM HD Radio audio systems featuring added content and format choices and crystal-clear sound."

iBiquity Digital Corporation's Jeff Jury feels the partnership between Audi and his firm--which is responsible for developing digital HD Radio technology for AM and FM audio and data broadcasting--is an astute one. Continuing to pitch HD Radio's ultra-clear reception and ability to transmit digital/text information (making possible the transmission of song titles, traffic/weather updates, emergency alerts, news, and valet-type services), Jury feels that Audi's significant buy-in with HD Radio will promote the technology as one in vogue with the luxury auto market.

Currently, iBiquity's HD Radio offers more than 1,800 AM and FM radio stations and more than 900 new multicast channels (HD2/HD3) on the FM dial. All channels are subscription-free, unlike satellite radio, though users might find the slightly higher price of the more complex receiver reflected in the bottom line of vehicles so equipped.

According to Wikipedia, Ford was first to market with an HD Radio tuner in 2008, and offers HD Radio tuners as factory-installed options in its SYNC-equipped models. Three other German auto manufacturers also offer factory-installed HD Radio; BMW on nearly its entire lineup, BMW's MINI on the 2009 Cooper and 2009 Cooper S, and Mercedes-Benz on the 2009 R320, 2009 ML320, and 2009 GL320. Scion offers the radio technology with some of its radio options, and Volvo offers it, factory-installed, on eight models from the S40 T5 to the XC90.--Colin Mathews

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Chrysler announced today that it will be closing its Newark, N.J., assembly plant that builds the slow-selling 2009 Dodge Durango and 2009 Chrysler Aspen large SUVs. Originally set to close at the end of 2009 as part of cost-cutting moves announced in early '07, market woes, a credit crunch, and the housing downturn have forced Chrysler's hand, according to Automotive News.

Chrysler joins the growing number of auto manufacturers being forced to act quick and shed costs. And, understandably, the biggest, lowest-tech, thirstiest models are the first to be axed. The Durango and Aspen have been criticized by many as bulbuously styled, thirsty full-frame SUVs that have little relevance in a marketplace becoming saturated with lighter, leaner crossovers like GM's Lambdas (Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook). Even with the HEMI V-8's cylinder deactivation and fitment of the codeveloped TwoMode Hybrid system (also seen on the Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, and upcoming European vehicles), the 2.5-ton SUVs don't come close to the efficiency now demanded by the market. Dodge has its own crossover, the Journey, but it lacks the size and quality feel of its competition.

GM is also facing a slew of plant closings such as its Moraine, Ohio, plant set to be phased out on December 23. And even lighter, leaner foreign makes such as the Nissan Altima are stinging from the market downturn (with workers facing mandatory, unpaid days off), if perhaps not as painfully as plants that manufacture domestic SUVs.

Anyway you look at it, this is bleak news for the American auto worker and the U.S. economy. Be it plant closings, huge domestic acquisitions or mergers that could eliminate 30,000-40,000 American jobs, or even heads of household who find themselves working (and being paid for) only three or four days of work per week through the remainder of 2008, it seems nearly everyone, everywhere in the United States is feeling the strain.

Will we have to re-enact the Depression-era Works Progress Administration sometime in '09? Somewhere, the next John Steinbeck is spinning a novel out of this whole big mess.--Colin Mathews

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Yet another reason to engage that parking brake routinely, even if you do drive an automatic; Cadillac announced a recall of 17,301 SRX SUVs due to a defective shift-brake interlock. The defect allows the gear selector lever for the automatic transmission to be moved out of park without the brake pedal depressed. This scenario could even play out with the vehicle's ignition turned off and the key removed, according to NHTSA.

GM has issued the recall for 17,301 2004 Cadillac SRXs, and dealers will replace parts of the shifting mechanism that should cure the problem. Owners may contact Cadillac beginning in December at 800-982-2339 or the NHTSA hotline at 888-327-4236.

We reported earlier on Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty vehicles with a parking brake recall that could (and has) lead to runway SUVs. While a parking brake is arguably more vital in a manual transmission, and "park" is an even safer bet these days with shift-brake interlocks standard in automatics, caution is always the best route if you'd rather not file an insurance claim.--Colin Mathews