I see what you are saying. However, to lump Ford in with Chrysler and say they are not trying is funny to me. Obvioulsy you missed your TV when Ford touts quality equal to Honda and Toyota. The F150 is the best selling vehicle in America, why not try to be proud of that?
I'm also wondering what makes you an expert on why people buy? People buy out of loyalty, pricing, or emotionally.
Those are the big 3. Emotionals encompass perceived reliability issues (feelings), image (feelings) etc. IMHO
I just think it's funny that no matter what the big 3 do to improve a battered image, there is always some import driving guy there to pile on and say they have an image problem. For a guy like you to admit they are doing something right would mean that you might have to think twice about the car you bought.