Hindujas set to move into luxury home

The fabulously wealthy Hinduja brothers are poised to return to the bosom of respectable British society following the completion of work on their £100 million new home in the heart of London.
Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja, traditionally London-based, have a personal fortune estimated at £6 billion. Like their brothers Prakash and Ashok, they are the descendants of Parmanand Hinduja who created the family fortune by founding an astute trading business between India and Iran.
Although surrounded by a tightly knit group of loyal friends, Srichand and Gopichand have in recent years kept a low profile, ever since it was revealed in 2001 that former Labour minister Peter Mandelson had contacted the Home Office to inquire about one of the brother's application for British citizenship.
The British media's focus on their lives intensified after it subsequently turned out that another Labour minister, Keith Vaz, had made even more energetic inquiries about their passport applications. Questions were also raised about why the Hinduja Foundation had made payments to a company run by Vaz's wife.
Elizabeth Filkin, the UK's Parliamentary commissioner for Standards at the time, conceded that the money had been given for legal advice on immigration issues and that Vaz himself had gained no direct financial benefit, but she was critical of the secrecy surrounding the Vaz-Hinduja connection. She said at the time: "It is clear to me there has been deliberate collusion over many months between Vaz and his wife to conceal this fact and to prevent me from obtaining accurate information about his possible financial relationship with the Hinduja family".
These and other related issues now seem to belong to another age as the Hinduja brothers prepare to move into their four renovated properties on Carlton House Terrace, designed by John Nash and commissioned by King George IV in 1820, where they will be neighbours of the British Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Press Club.
Their new London residence is the Delhi equivalent of moving into a refurbished property on Tughlaq Road or Aurangzeb Road. They are said to have paid some £60 million for the property, which is more than what Lakshmi Mittal, Britain's richest man and also an Indian, paid for his home in Kensington Palace Gardens in another part of London.
At their new home, the Hindujas will be a stone's throw from Trafalgar Square and a short walk from Buckingham Palace. A swimming pool and private cinema are part of the palatial new home which is made up of some 50 rooms over six floors.
But there are other luxurious touches as well, including marble floors, gold leaf and elephant motifs, which prompted a director of English Heritage to comment: "I can't think of another domestic restoration project on this scale with buildings of this importance. Rarely have we seen such opulence allied to such craftsmanship and design." 

While Formula One attracted 95,000 fans, Kotla Test just 9,000

New Delhi, November 6
The hype around Sachin Tendulkar’s impending 100th international century failed to attract a handsome crowd on the first day of the Test match against the West Indies, thanks to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) that kept its ticket counters closed citing it being a Sunday. Last Sunday, a record 95,000 fans hysterically embraced India's latest fascination, Formula One. This Sunday in stark contrast just 9,000 turned up at the 42,000-seater Ferozshah Kotla at a time when dwindling crowds in Test matches is bothering even the International Cricket Council (ICC).
DDCA secretary general S.P. Bansal told IANS that the counters were kept closed since it was a holiday but hoped some 16,000 fans would turn up Monday, when India are expected to bat.
"I think 9,000 is a good number on Sunday. We expect around 16,000 fans Monday, which is also a government holiday,” said Bansal.
A low-profile series against a lowly-ranked West Indies side was never expected to draw huge crowd to the ground but Tendulkar’s 100th international century is the main attraction of the series.
West Indies great Jeff Dujon, who is here as a commentator for the host broadcaster, fondly remembered the days when fans packed stadiums during the team's past tours to the sub-continent.
"I have never seen a sparse crowd in our days. It is sad that Test cricket is losing its fans," he said. Three years ago, Tendulkar broke the record of West Indies legend Brian Lara to become the highest run scorer in Tests in front of a near empty stadium in Mohali that even gave the blues to ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat.
Tendulkar could well be seen achieving another milestone in front of a sparse crowd because of an overdose of cricket and the apathy of the cricket administrators.
There was mad a rush among fans for tickets during the World Cup but since then there has been a noticeable decline in crowds during matches in India. Initially, there was some enthusiasm in the IPL, which started six days after India's World Cup triumph, but soon not only the ad rates fell but fans also started to stay away from the ground. Empty stands were a noticeable feature not only during the Champions League Twenty20 but also during the return ODI series against England, which turned out to be a pretty one-sided affair in favour of India. 
Dhoni goes past Kirmani
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni completed another milestone as he pipped Syed Kirmani to become the Indian wicketkeeper with highest number of dismissals in his kitty.
Dhoni stumped Kraigg Brathwaite off Pragyan Ojha's bowling to bag his 199th victim in his 62nd Test match --- one more than Kirmani who represented India in 88 Tests.
Among Dhoni's 199 victims, 173 are caught behind and 26 are stumpings.

James Bond Press Conference Confirms ‘Skyfall’ Is Finally Coming, With a New Bond Girl

Berenice Marlohe, Daniel Craig and Naomie Harris attends a photocall with cast and filmmakers to mark the start of production which is due to commence on the 23rd Bond Film and announce the title of the film as "Skyfall" on November 3, 2011 in London.

London: This morning in London, Sony Pictures had a big press conference about the next James Bond movie, the one that has been rumored and delayed and speculated about for months upon years. Sitting up there on stage were Daniel Craig, and Judi Dench, and director Sam Mendes and even Javier Bardem, who is gonna play the bad guy. It really happened. The movie is totally coming now. They had a press conference: They can't back out at this point.

The more prurient of you are probably wondering: "So, who's the hot Bond girl?" Well, you Y-chromosome-driven Beavis: It's Bérénice Marlohe, a French model who has, in fact, never appeared in an English-speaking movie before. (She has barely been in any French-speaking ones.)

She will play "a glamorous, enigmatic character named Severin." That's to say: A Bond girl. If you want to know a bit more about what she looks like -- and we suspect you do -- JoBlo.com has the definitive photo gallery.

Follow The Projector on Twitter!

Onto the other news: According to the press conference, they are starting shooting ... today.Probably a good idea, considering the movie is expected to be out a year from now. There were lots of news items to come out of the press conference, but here's the most impressive one to us: James Bond now has a Twitter! Obviously, the handle is @007. That Twitter account gave out all kinds of details about the film during the press conference. Here are the key ones:

• "The title of Bond 23 will be....Skyfall." That's the first one-word Bond title since "GoldenEye," a forgettable Bond film known mostly for an awesome Nintendo 64 game.
• "Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney will all be joining the Skyfall cast." We would watch Albert Finney chew on straw for two hours.
• "Javier Bardem will play Skyfall's villain." So there's official confirmation of that, in case you were wondering why he was on stage.
• "Director Sam Mendes says Skyfall "is its own story. It doesn't connect with the last two movies." This is good. We were already tired of the "guilty Bond" storyline.

Out this week: 'Tower Heist' (VIDEO)>>

The movie will film in London, Istanbul, Shanghai and Scotland and be released next fall. It'll be the first Bond film since "Quantum of Solace" in 2008, a film that left most neither shaken nor stirred. But the goodwill of "Casino Royale," and Craig's total reboot of the character, still goes a long way, particularly with that cast. We're excited. "Skyfall!"

PHOTOS: 'Skyfall' Press Conference>>

Growing E-commerce in Canada

Edmonton - 6th November, 2011
What is E-Commerce? When trying to understand E-Commerce, it's important to look at growth rates and statistics. Some noteworthy information to start with is the growth of Canadian internet use, online shopping expansion and who E-Commerce marketing targets. 

Canada leads E-Commerce because of its high percentage of internet usage per capita. According to Comscore Inc; an online data compiling firm, Canadians spend an average of 2500 minutes or more online per month totaling nearly 42 hours. ComScores research determined that with 68% per capita, Canada has the largest number of internet users in the world. Isreal was a close second averaging around 2300 minutes. 

It is interesting to see that Canadians spend most of their time on social networking sites. ComScore reports that a whopping 71% of Canadian online users visit YouTube every month. Chris O'Neil, Canada's country director for Google states 'In Canada,YouTube per capita consumption of video is No. 1 in the world.' Canadians are also heavy Facebook users as 83% have accounts on The Social Network. 

Compared to the US, growth rates of E-Commerce in Canada are slower but are expected to increase over the next couple of years. Canadians can expect E-Commerce to nearly double by 2015 reaching $30.9 billion CAD. Recently, as of 2010, Canadians spend approximately $16.5 billion CAD online. As consumers become more comfortable purchasing high deliberation items online, E-Commerce activity is expected to increase. Some examples of such purchases would be high-end electronics, trips and jewellery. 

E-Commerce growth rates are slow due to online buying reservations. Many Canadians are wary of purchasing products they cannot touch or try and are hesitant to pay high shipping rates. While current market conditions have led many small retailers to avoid E- Commerce, some niche businesses that offer unique products are succeeding online because the geographic location of the store is not a concern. For example, a baseball card that is rare in Toronto can be purchased from the website of a store located in California where that card may not be as rare. 

Now that we see how E-Commerce is growing, it's important to uncover why consumers choose to purchase from one site over another. One way to insure consumers buy from a particular site is to offer niche products. This will bring specific clientele to the business. At times, buyers can feel frustrated searching for their favorite product to purchase. Niche business can retain these customers. 

The article 'Exploring Why Consumers Leave Websites before Buying' written by Chuleepor Changchit & Robert Cutshall provides facts as to why consumers are more comfortable purchasing products from some websites over others. Although limited to functionality, these examples are important to understand. 

The following are some reasons why consumers buy from particular websites and not others: 

1. Consumers are not sure if a particular price is the best one. Many shoppers will research competitive sites to find the best value for the product they want to purchase.
2. Shoppers might be discouraged by shipping fees.
3. Many buyers do not want to spend time registering online to purchase products.
4. Fear of receiving the wrong product.
5. Lengthy checkout process.
6. Concern about whether the website will ship the purchase on time.
7. Many shoppers are not willing to provide personal credit card information.
8. Confusion when searching for a product can deter shoppers from the site.
9. Wait times for images and content can result in the loss of a sale.
10. The product the consumer is searching for may simply be unavailable online.

One of the biggest advantages of shopping on the internet is that consumers can visit different online retailers in an effort to find the best price for the same product. On the other hand, some shoppers are not aware of competitive retailers and purchase from one particular online retailer simply because it is the only one they know about. 

Those are a few reasons why consumers buy from particular websites. Another important factor relating to E-Commerce is looking at the thought process that drives consumers to add an item to their cart and purchase it. When customers want to purchase a product, it is important to uncover what drives them to purchase the product online and what final thoughts influence their decision to click 'add to cart.' There are many reasons why a consumer resolves to purchase a product online. One of the main reasons is the product/service is limited and not available locally. Quite often, consumers go online to purchase limited or rare collectible items including entertainment tickets, travel packages, clothing or memorabilia. Often small retailers will go online to purchase bulk products at discounted rates. Others shop online to receive discounts. For example, eBay enables the consumer to purchase products through an auction allowing the shopper the chance to buy at a reduced price. Online shopping also offers competitive pricing. Consumers can track product prices to see when they are lowest and compare them to other leading competitors. 

When examining the consumers thought process during the final 'add to cart' moment there are a couple different responses that can be expected. The first response represents impulse buyers.These buyers have not planned the purchase. The acquisition is spontaneous and is influenced by what they are currently viewing online. This type of buyer is drawn to online advertising, recent trends and the popularity of the product. They are usually compulsive; only considering how they are going to pay for the product after adding it to the cart. 

The second response represents planned purchasers. These buyers have weighed out the pros and cons of purchasing online. They are aware of additional shipping rates and have reviewed consumer comments. They have also compared prices with other online retailers and have determined the most reasonable price for the product. They are meticulous and organized in their purchasing methods and have invested hours of research into the purchasing process. As you can see there are two different types of buyers; the impulse buyer and the planned purchaser. Each buyer examines the online purchasing experience differently and companies must provide websites that appeal to both types of buyers. 

You now have a better understanding of various E-Commerce components including statistics, current and expected growth rates, reasons why consumers buy from one particular website over others and what actually drives the consumer to click 'Add to Cart.' Understanding these components will provide a new appreciation for E-Commerce and enhance the online shopping experience.

U.S. Unemployment: Canada Sees 'Dramatic Growth' In American Job-Seekers

TORONTO, Canada — Usually, you hear stories of people fleeing to America, not the other way around.

But the jittery state of the U.S. economy is driving an increasing number of its citizens to seek better prospects north of the border.

Americans are the latest economic refugees, and they’re heading to Canada.

As he prepares to campaign for re-election, U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to make a speech Thursday night that calls for immediate stimulus spending to create jobs and improve infrastructure.

But those reforms will be difficult to make. Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have resisted any efforts to boost the economy through additional spending.

As life in the U.S. worsens, prospects in Canada seem all the brighter.

Canadian officials say the number of Americans applying for temporary work visas doubled between 2008 and 2010.

Immigration lawyers in Toronto and the border city of Windsor, right across from job-starved Detroit, say they’re seeing a dramatic growth in clients seeking to come to Canada to work, or even as permanent residents.

So, is this a reversal of fortunes on an historic scale? Has Canada become "el Norte"?

Well, not quite. The number of U.S. citizens working in Canada is, at least by global migration standards, relatively small with some 30,000 at the beginning of last year.

Still, Americans make up the second-largest group of temporary workers in Canada, behind only Filipinos, most of whom work as nannies.

Canada was one of the few to escape the 2008 financial meltdown relatively unscathed, a turn of events largely attributed to Ottawa’s long-standing refusal to deregulate the banking sector.

“I’m looking for a quiet, calm, sane, civilized society to start the next phase of my life,” said Michael, an out-of-work, white-collar professional from Michigan who is seeking a temporary visa to come to Canada.

Like several others interviewed for this article, he did not want his full name used for fear of drawing unwanted scrutiny to his application.

Though he describes himself as both patriotic and a conservative, Michael says he’s lost faith in U.S. leadership — “on both sides of the aisle” — for failing to stem the excesses that led to the collapse of Wall Street, and for the current political brinkmanship over the debt ceiling.

“I’m looking for a country where the first role of the government is to protect its citizens,” he said. “It looks to me like all [of Canada’s] three major political parties seem to have proven that they are much more responsible than our leadership.”

Workers like Michael are drawn to Canada’s lower unemployment rate — 7 percent in July compared to 9.1 in the U.S. — and sustained economic strength in major centers such as Toronto, which alone attracts an estimated 100,000 new arrivals a year.

These include not only people with temporary work visas, or those seeking permanent residency, but also increasing numbers of university students, drawn by highly-ranked Canadian schools where tuition, even at 3 or 4 times the rates for Canadians, is still a fraction of what it costs to attend many colleges in the U.S.

John Cameron’s mother lost her senior position at a bank branch in Maine in 2009 at the same time he was trying to finalize his choices for his freshman year in college.

He had his eye on American universities such as Loyola, University of Maryland, Columbia and Fordham.

His father, thinking about the finances, suggested the University of Toronto. Cameron was reluctant, but now he’s a Canadian convert.

”I really love it,” he said. “[It’s] hands-down one of the best schools in North America.”

Toronto has also become home to a couple in their mid-30s from New York City who both lost their full-time jobs in Manhattan in the wake of the 2008 crash. They now live in Canada on temporary visas.

“It’s important for us to live in a place with a lot of diversity and a good cultural sector,” said the woman, who asked that their names be withheld to avoid compromising their residency status in Canada. She says she was surprised at how quickly and efficiently they were able to qualify for Ontario health care.

Some Canadians who had considered America their adopted home are going back.

Al Brickman recently gave up on the United States after 30 years of running a Canadian-owned construction-supply business in Atlanta, Ga.

“I really did hold out for about two years,” he said, but business had bottomed-out in the economy. Brickman said that his billings, once around $100,000, had dropped on some months by as much as 95 percent.

Brickman moved home to Toronto to work at his company there, where he has a steady job as a general manager. His American wife and their 11-week-old baby, are now trying to emigrate to join him.

Since he got back, Brickman said he’s been fielding calls from American friends hoping he can get them a job up north, too.

Shawn Shepard, a legal software supervisor who was among hundreds laid off by his Manhattan law firm in 2008, is hoping a Canadian employer will sponsor him.

Shepard, who lives in Jersey City, N.J., is a regular visitor to Canada, with friends in Montreal and Toronto. With 20 years of experience, and, he admitted, “the arrogance of being a U.S. citizen,” he figured it would be a snap.

But now, he’s found himself in the classic migrant dilemma: “In order to get a work visa, you need a job offer. In order to get a job offer, you need a work visa.” And even if he were to interest a prospective employer, a visa would only be issued if the employer can show that no Canadian was qualified for the job.

“The economy up there is doing very well, despite the global slump,” Shepard wistfully told this reporter, a gainfully employed Canadian. “Your politicians didn’t put you in the same mess that ours did.”

ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਆਉਣ ਲਈ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਕ ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ ਲੈਣੀਆਂ ਬੰਦ

ਐਡਮਿੰਟਨ, 5 ਨਵੰਬਰ -ਕੈਨੇਡੀਅਨ ਇਮੀਗ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਜੇਸਨ ਕੇਨੀ ਦੇ ਐਲਾਨ ਕਿ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਵਿਚ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਲੋਕ ਆਪਣੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਕ ਮੈਂਬਰਾਂ (ਫੈਮਿਲੀ ਕੈਟਾਗਰੀ) ਨੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੁਲਾ ਸਕਣ ਦੇ ਬਿਆਨ ਨੇ ਖਲਬਲੀ ਮਚਾ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੈ। ਮੰਤਰੀ ਜੇਸਨ ਕੇਨੀ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਇਹ ਫੈਸਲਾ ਪਿਛਲੀਆਂ ਲਗਭਗ 180,000 ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਿਪਟਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਅੱਗੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹਰ ਸਾਲ 15,300 ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਸਨ ਪ੍ਰੰਤੂ ਹੁਣ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਮਹਿਕਮਾ 60 ਪ੍ਰਤੀਸ਼ਤ ਪੁਰਾਣੀਆਂ ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਕੇ ਲਗਭਗ 25000 ਦੇ ਕਰੀਬ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਹਰ ਸਾਲ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਦਾ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਜਾਰੀ ਕਰੇਗਾ, ਜਿਸ ਅਧੀਨ ਪੁਰਾਣੀਆਂ ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ ਜਲਦ ਨਿਪਟਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਉਮੀਦ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ। ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੇ ਕੁਝ ਰਾਹਤ ਦਿੰਦਿਆਂ ਸੁਪਰ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਨਾਮਕ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਲੀ ਲਾਗੂ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ, ਜਿਸ ਅਧੀਨ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਲੋਕ ਆਪਣੇ ਮਾਂ-ਬਾਪ ਨੂੰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਘੁੰਮਣ ਲਈ ਸੱਦਣਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹ 10 ਸਾਲ ਦਾ ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ। ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਮਿਲਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਮਾਂ-ਬਾਪ ਲਗਭਗ 2 ਸਾਲ ਲਗਾਤਾਰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਆਪਣੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਕੋਲ ਰਹਿ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ ਪ੍ਰੰਤੂ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਲਗਭਗ 17000 ਡਾਲਰ ਦੀ ਸਾਲਾਨਾ ਕਮਾਈ ਅਤੇ ਸਿਹਤ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ ਲਈ ਬੀਮਾ ਆਦਿ ਦੇ ਸਬੂਤ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕਰਨੇ ਹੋਣਗੇ। ਵਿਰੋਧੀ ਪਾਰਟੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਣਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਫੈਸਲਾ ਲੈਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਨੋਟਿਸ ਜਾਰੀ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਸੀ, ਜਿਸ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਕਈ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਇਸ ਲਈ ਆਏ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਸੱਦ ਸਕਣ। ਇਸ ਅਧੀਨ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਮਿਲੀਅਨ ਡਾਲਰ ਖਰਚ ਕਰਕੇ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਦੀ ਆਰਥਿਕ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਭ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਇਆ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਫੈਸਲੇ ਨਾਲ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਦੇ ਹਰ ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿਚ ਵਸਦੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਈਚਾਰੇ ਵਿਚ ਉਦਾਸੀ ਦਾ ਮਾਹੌਲ ਪਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ।

Consumer Reports names most reliable cars of 2011

In recent years, Ford has been a model of American reliability. The brand ranked 10th in our predicted-reliability ranking last year and competed well with Japanese makes. This year, however, the Ford brand has slipped 10 spots, to 20th out of 28 makes. That was the biggest drop for any major nameplate, according to Consumer Reports' 2011 Annual Auto Survey, which is based on subscribers' experiences with 1.3 million vehicles.



What changed? Three new or redesigned models — the Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus — had below-average reliability in their first year. We have often found that new or revamped models have more problems in their first year than in subsequent model years. Ford's problems underscore our advice to hold off buying a new car in its first year.
Other highlights from the survey:
•    As Ford's star has fallen, Chrysler's has risen. Jeep has moved up seven spots to become the most reliable domestic brand, and all its models for which we have sufficient data scored average in predicted reliability. Chrysler and Dodge moved up 12 and three spots in ranking, respectively.
•    Japanese brands dominate our survey's upper echelons and took the top nine spots. They were led by Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota.
•    Jaguar, Porsche, and Audi are at the bottom among brands for which we have sufficient data.
•    Many hybrids are proving extremely reliable. The top two models in our survey are the Lexus CT 200h and Honda CR-Z. The Toyota Prius was among the top models, rebounding from brake problems that plagued the current design.
•    Family sedans hold up well overall and are led by the Ford Fusion Hybrid. All of the models for which we have data have at least average reliability. In contrast, only one minivan makes that cut: The front-wheel-drive Toyota Sienna is average.
•    Heavy-duty, three-quarter-ton pickups are among the most problematic vehicles. With the exception of the turbodiesel Ford F-250, they all scored below average.

For full reliability charts and predicted reliability on hundreds of 2012 models, plus a list of what's up and what's down, visit ConsumerReports.org.

Fortunes change for Big Three

Even with Chrysler's improvement, Detroit models still have reliability problems. Of the 97 domestic models and versions for which we have sufficient data, 62 (64 percent) rated average or better in our new-car reliability ratings.

General Motors has stumbled after edging up last year. The Buick and Cadillac brands, in particular, appear to have taken a step backward; Chevrolet held steady and GMC dropped one spot.

The new Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze did well in our road tests but were below par in reliability. The Buick LaCrosse, an all-wheel-drive version of the Buick Enclave, and the Cadillac SRX were all deemed reliable last year but dropped to below average and are no longer recommended. General Motors' bright spots include the above-average Chevrolet Avalanche and the Cadillac CTS, which has improved to average.

The gas/electric Chevrolet Volt, with much better than average predicted reliability, ranks as GM's most reliable car but with a caveat: The sample size was just a little more than our minimum threshold of 100 cars, and most respondents had owned theirs for only a few months.

In spite of Ford's overall drop, the Ford Fusion Hybrid maintained its outstanding rating.

In spite of Ford's overall drop, the Ford Fusion Hybrid maintained its outstanding rating.
Ford's drop can also be attributed to problems with new technologies: the new MyFord Touch infotainment system and the new automated-manual transmission used in the Fiesta and Focus. Lincoln finished above Ford, although the freshened MKX, a cousin of the Edge, suffered from the MyLincoln Touch system. On the bright side, the Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan remained outstanding, and other Fusion versions were above average.

Chrysler had better results with its new models, including the freshened Chrysler 200 (formerly Sebring) sedan and the redesigned Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs. The Chrysler brand moved up in the survey, but its rank is based on just two models: the 200, which was well above average, and the freshened Town & Country minivan, which tanked. The remaining model, the 300, is too new for us to have sufficient data.

Asian brands roll on

Of the 91 Japanese models for which we have sufficient data, 87 (96 percent) were rated average or better in predicted reliability; 24 Japanese models earned the highest rating.

Six brands weighed in at average or above with all their models: Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Infiniti, and Subaru. The biggest improvement was from Mazda, which moved up eight spots from last year. All its models were rated above average.

Scion remains the top brand in our survey, but only two models of its three, the xB and xD, had sufficient data to be included. Lexus, with 11 models included, rebounded seven places from last year.

Toyota finished sixth overall, the same as last year, and every Toyota model except the all-wheel-drive version of the Sienna minivan was average or better. Honda also had just one below-average vehicle, the redesigned Odyssey minivan.

The South Korean brands rank 11th and 12th in our survey. Hyundai had just one below-par entry, the V-6 Santa Fe. The V-6 version of its corporate cousin, the Kia Sorento, also finished off the pace.

Mixed results from Europe
European models continue to be a blend of reliable and not so reliable vehicles. Overall, European vehicles' reliability is slightly below that of domestic models. Of the 58 European models for which we have sufficient data, 37 (64 percent) scored average or better in predicted reliability.

Among European brands, Volvo ranked the highest at 10th overall. It was helped by the redesigned S60, which was above average in its first year.

Volkswagen was able to hold on to 16th place in the ranking; seven of its 11 models scored average or better.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW improved, but results were inconsistent for their various models. BMW's redesigned X3 SUV did well, for example, but the redesigned 5 Series sedan was well below average. Mercedes' compact GLK SUV improved, but its flagship S-Class luxury sedan fell to below average.
Porsche dropped from being the second-best brand last year to the second-worst. That big shift occurred because we have data for only two models, one of which, the redesigned Cayenne SUV, had a terrible debut year.

Jaguar trails the pack. Its XF and the new XJ were the two least reliable new cars in the survey, but that's not surprising, given Jaguar's history of producing less than reliable models.