jay,
you're right about the rangers and mazda B series trucks. I think most of that is due to branding.
my dad would never NEVER have a ford. he thought they were the biggest pieces of crap in the world. he did however have a mazda B-2300 which was just like my brother-in-law's ranger. only his ranger had the 3 liter V6 instead.
they actually had similar recalls on them too for interior lighting issues.
the matrix and the vibe are the same way. I guess so people could buy american made (even thogh there are toyota manufacturers in the US).
branding of cars can play a big part in the vehicles people buy. like I said, my dad would never have a ford and my brother-in-law would never be without one. he still has the ranger and an F-250 diesel (he works construction)
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