Why are American cars inferior to foreign cars?

We didn't invent the automobile. Karl Benz (a German) built the first automobile. Many foreign companies (Toyota, Mercedes, BMW) have factories here in the US. So some foreign car makers have American workers, so it really begins with the design engineers of the companies. So it may be that the American post secondary education isn't as "good" as a foreign education (or at least in the math/engineering departments). And a response to the first answer, Porsche is second in the J.D. Power quality tests. So not all Euro vehicles are overrated. Just my opinion.

That maybe true that we did start with the creation of the Automobile, but within time the technology we have didn't be those of other nations. Foreign cars do rate better that US cars on many scales, such as Gas, Maintenance, Durability, and Performance. A lot of it has to do with the work ethic and resources. Japan is one of the leading countries in Technology. Therefore their cars are going to have better electronics in it before anyone else. American make cars, depending on the maker, also leave it up to the owner sometimes to know what the car might need ahead of time (Ford) so they don't waste time to install it. Because of the lack of car knowlegde within America many people can see the problem that needs to be fixed before it happens. Making it so that you buy another American Car faster. Give in more money.

While I believe that the Japanese have a better work ethic and work with the group in mind first (the company, their nation), the major reason for their success in auto manufacturing is quality assurance.

Edward Deming, an American, devised management techniques to assure quality at every step of any process. (This was over 50 years ago!) The Japanese applied these techniques, while the Americans chose not to adopt these measures. I believe that this the the single most important reason that Japanese cars are more reliable than American cars. Americans are choosing to buy Japanese cars based on reliability, first and foremost. (The Americans were slow to make their cars more fuel efficient, and quickly fell behind in this area, too. It's another reason that American consumers choose Japanese cars over American.)

As for the Europeans, J.D. Power surveys show that European cars aren't really as reliable as their perceived reputation suggests.

(Another advantage that the Japanese have over the Americans is their national health care coverage. Having health care provided by the government, the automakers don't have to carry this cost. In the U.S., the automakers carry the cost of workers' health care, cutting into the company's profits. This adds to the U.S. automakers' problems as they try to recover from flagging sales.)

Because they make cheap pieces of crap, and expect them to out perform, outlast imports! Imports in the other hand do the opposite!