Apparently, Detroit is making better cars than we give them credit for. J.D. Power and Associates recently released it’s long-term Vehicle Dependability Study, which (you guessed it) measures a vehicles’ dependability over the long term. And guess what? Seven of the first eight vehicles on the list were all from American manufacturers. Cadillac, Mercury and Buick all bested the powerhouse Lexus LS 460 and Ford had four different models in the top 8. Japan has always had a death grip on the list, but they’ve started slipping, especially Toyota in the wake of all the recalls.

But the study confirmed one solid truth: that American manufacturers are making good cars. And not just good cars – long lasting cars. But even with all the great publicity and how great they’re doing and all the cool stuff that Detroit is putting out there right now, the American consumer still wants a foreign car. Because there’s a major perception gap between what the American people think is good and what is actually good. This comes from a long haul of Detroit building sub-par vehicles (which is ending, thank the maker). Let’s just hope that things turn around, because we need it to.