While several automakers are still celebrating the results of the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study released in late June, perhaps they should temper their glee.

A high ranking in the Power study, it appears, is akin to being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated when it comes to future expectations.

The survey included responses from about 48,000 owners of 2001 model cars after three years of ownership.

Buick, Lincoln and Cadillac finished in the top five, ahead of such Japanese notables as Honda, Acura and Toyota.

So there was cause for the domestic automakers to cheer.

But looking at some of the names of individual cars that scored well gives cause for extending sympathies.

For example:

The Chevrolet Prizm finished second in the compact car category behind the Toyota Corolla. Prizm, based on the Corolla platform, hasn’t been sold since 2002.

The Cadillac Eldorado finished third behind the Lexus LS430 and Infiniti Q45 among luxury cars, but the Eldorado disappeared after the 2002 model year as well.

The Buick Century and Regal finished No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, behind the Toyota Avalon in the midsize premium segment, but Century and Regal are replaced by the LaCrosse for “05.

The Chevy Malibu topped the entry-level midsize segment.

Yet that’s the last-generation Malibu, replaced by a new generation for 2004, so the award winner is no longer sold.

And the Chrysler Concorde placed first in the full-size sedan segment. But after a handful of “04s were built, production ceased so Chrysler could convert from the front-wheel-drive sedan to the rear-wheel-drive 300.

So winning isn’t everything.

Surviving is.

Joe Ivers, executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power, was quoted as saying that the gains made by the domestics prove they are “putting their money where their mouths are” in improving long-term quality.

It’s just that they aren’t putting their money on Prizm, Eldorado, Concorde, Century or Regal anymore.

Japanese don’t want their own cars

Interesting. The biggest demand for Japanese cars is in the United States and Europe. The least demand for Japanese cars is in Japan.

Toyota, Japan’s biggest automaker, reported worldwide production in May rose 3.2 percent, but fell 4.2 percent in Japan.

The other Japanese automakers had similar experiences.

Honda’s worldwide production rose 0.3 percent, but fell 3.2 percent in Japan; Nissan’s global production rose 3.3 percent, but fell 10.3 percent in Japan; and Mazda’s worldwide production rose 39.5 percent yet slipped 0.2 percent in Japan.

Mitsubishi said its global output fell 6.3 percent and domestic output dropped 18.5 percent.

Mitsubishi is suffering from reports of defect cover-ups and failure to institute product recalls at home.

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Alliance for Energy, a nonprofit group dedicated to making the United States more energy-efficient, teamed up to create a “$avings” campaign to offer consumers tips on how to conserve fuel and “help the nation reduce its energy use.”

Among the suggestions:

-If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage.

-Consider public transportation.

-Consider telecommuting (working from home).

And, finally:

-When possible, walk.

It took two groups to come up these tips?

A real waste of energy.

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(Write to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 616 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1523, or send e-mail, including name and hometown, to jmatejatribune.com.)

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(c) 2004, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-07-09-04 0621EDT