Can "Made in Germany" Be Trusted?

"Made in Germany" means to me a seal of quality and reliability, "A" for a good product at an affordable price. But with the recent fiascos of the Germans in technology (the Mars probe, Toll Collect, Deutsche Bahn, etc.) my point of view is going to change. -- Jorge Anicama

The label "Made in Germany" matters a lot to me, as I always prefer to buy German brands. -- Nayyar Ahmed, Pakistan

The "Made in Germany" label still carries a lot of clout around here. I have tried out the transrapid system in Shanghai and that was fast, so fast, I had trouble believing that I was at the airport in seven and a half minutes. Is there some way of lowering the costs to enable the realization of the Beijing-Shanghai maglev railway? -- Gyamilobsang

I still believe that German goods are among the best in the world. My problem is that I don't have money anymore to buy them! -- Dejan Sajinovic, Bosnia

Made in Germany means quite a lot to me. I look for high quality and items made by free people earning reasonable wages. Most of us in the free world have enough to be able to support others. In fact, most of us buy things we don't need, so getting better quality and supporting decent working conditions is a pleasure as well as an investment in the future for our and other people's children Competition on wages rather than education or innovation does few any good. For me "Made in Germany" is a label of quality and decency. In fact, I chose a Saab (25% made in Germany) rather than a VW (made in Mexico), and I am happy to drive it. -- Harrison Picot, Haymarket, Virginia, USA

Germany still has the best technology with reliability and more sustainability than its counterparts, like Japan and upcoming South Korea. However what Germans fail in is better marketing. Japan and now South Korea have done better to push their technology. Germans needs to be a bit more competitive; Pride doesn't get you anywhere. -- Vincent On

I think many of my fellow Americans would agree that the words "Made in Germany" signify excellent design and craftsmanship. Today one only needs to look to German manufactured automobiles to find superior innovation and quality, rated among the best in the world. Thus, Germans have little to worry about their reputation in the area of engineering. However, finance is an entirely different story, and for better or worse, as Germany has seen all before, it is absolutely pointless to develop even the best technology without utility planning and proper financing. -- Eric H. West, USA

"Made in Germany" has a lot of meaning to me. When I see "Made in Germany" I think of quality in manufacture as well as design. I only purchase German autos for these reasons as well as for safety. -- Albert Greuter

Made in Germany means to me TOP quality, whether I think of cars, medical equipment, electrical appliances or big industrial products. I lived in Germany almost 10 years and, as a Latin American, can compare German and other quality. German products are indeed the best. -- Mylena Vega, Costa Rica

The reputation that German-made products enjoy the world over has developed over many years, and as such will hardly disappear soon. I note then within your article, a current production Leica camera is used, presumably as a totem of German quality/engineering. That this particular type of "obsolete" camera still sells, many years after the initial design, merely proves how durable that reputation of German products is. -- Stephen Ascherl

Of course there are exceptions to everything. But, I still interpret "Made in Germany" as a signal of high quality. Also, I know that products made in Germany are made with a relatively high responsibility for the environment and workers. -- George Gruenewald, New Mexico, USA

Telefunken radios were manufactured in India, and I am one of those thousands who purchased the radio. I bought the radio because I was sure of the quality. I still have the radio with me (since the last thirty-odd years) but not in good working condition. I still value German made products. So, when my son in United States volunteered to buy me a shortwave radio, we were initially confused with his suggestions of Sony and other brands. I came across a Web site which sold radios and the advertisement compared the product with Grundig. I stopped at that and immediately opened the Web site that was selling Grundig radios. The next e-mail was to my daughter-in-law to buy a Grundig as my new shortwave world band radio. However, I now learn that Grundig is being manufactured in China. But my son has assured me that the product is extremely good, because it is German-engineered. I am glad that I could keep the faith in products "Made in Germany". -- M. Joevalan Vaz, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India