U.S. auto quality tops imports in J.D. Power survey

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times

U.S. automakers, which have long battled perceptions of poor craftsmanship in their cars, edged out imports in a key benchmark of quality for the first time in nearly a quarter century.

Led by improvements at Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., the domestic industry topped J.D. Power & Associates' latest initial quality study — something that has never happened before in the survey's 24 years.

The Toyota brand, a perennial star in the survey, plunged below average as it has struggled with massive recalls.

"This is a landmark in the quality history of the auto industry," said David Sargent, J.D. Power's vice president of global vehicle research.

The gains reported Thursday are a result of major initiatives at Ford and GM "to really focus on quality in both design and manufacturing started several years ago," said Xavier Mosquet, a senior partner with Boston Consulting Group in Detroit. "This didn't happen by chance."

He said the findings were important because measurements of short-term quality are often harbingers of long-term reliability. Additionally, the survey may persuade consumers to reassess persistent views that domestic makers trail import brands in reliability, he said.

That could help sales at a time when the American auto industry is recovering from a devastating slump that forced GM and Chrysler to seek Bankruptcy Court protection and massive federal bailouts just last year.

The quality gap between domestics and imports has narrowed steadily for some years now, Sargent said. And the introduction of a fleet of newly designed and engineered models appears to have pushed Ford and GM over the quality hurdle, he said.

The improvements are already paying off in the marketplace.

Sales of Ford-badged vehicles have jumped 34% this year, about double the gains for the industry overall, according to Autodata Corp. The brand's market share has risen by nearly two percentage points to 15.2%.

"I've noticed a huge improvement," said Lynne Roberto, a La Crescenta retiree and Acura owner who purchased a Ford Flex in October. "It's night and day. Everything Ford is putting out right now has improved over cars from a few years ago. They're built better, with better materials, better styling; they're super-reliable. It really surprised me."

The study measures how many problems owners experience during the first 90 days they have a new vehicle.

Ford and GM placed a combined 22 vehicles in the top quality rankings, but Chrysler Group lagged far behind its domestic rivals and the entire industry, the Westlake Village auto information company said.

Ford, with an average of 93 defects per 100 vehicles, was the best-performing non-luxury brand, beating Honda with 95. The Ford Focus was the highest-ranked compact car, coming in above Honda's Civic and the Hyundai Elantra. The Ford Mustang was the highest-ranked midsize sporty car, and the Ford Taurus was the top large car.

"We are pleased, but we are not satisfied. We still need to get better," Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said in an interview. "In the area of quality there is never a finish line. Customers expectations' are rising every year, and we have to raise the bar every year."

Overall, domestic brands suffered from an average of 108 problems per 100 new vehicles, an improvement from 112 last year and down dramatically from the 164 garnered by the American automakers in 2000. Imports scored 109, up from 106 a year ago.

This year's 109 average for all vehicles was a point worse than last year, the first time the measure has increased since 2007.

Porsche was the top nameplate, logging just 83 problems per 100 new vehicles. The worst was Land Rover, with 170 flaws.

http://www.latimes.c...0,5521087.story

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Good news!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Good news!

God knows we need some good news these days.

[Nikita2Charles 32]

I love the Ford Fusion

and the

GM

300C

the new Chargers

Edited June 18, 2010 by Nikita2Charles

[spookyturtle 9,466]

The Toyota lovers don't have anything to say?

[john & jean 37]

The Toyota lovers don't have anything to say?

Uhmm, can't talk now! Tryin to git this damm thang stopped

[Pooky 3,795]

I'm glad that it's Ford leading the way. The only one of the Big 3 to see the crunch coming and do something about it before it was too late.

[William33 110]

I will continue to buy Honda (Acura)going forward. I used to be a hard line Ford buyer, until I repeatedly needed repairs before the note was paid off. Those days and issues are over now. Acura!

Edited June 19, 2010 by William33

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Even with the recalls, Toyota outsells everyone else

I'll take a Tundra over an F-150 any day. Kthx.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Even with the recalls, Toyota outsells everyone else

I'll take a Tundra over an F-150 any day. Kthx.

Is that why Toyota is the industry standard for work trucks?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Is that why Toyota is the industry standard for work trucks?

the industry standard for work trucks is "cheap" and that's about it.

There's a reason why most work trucks are basic White F-150's, no bells and whistles.

The Tundra is the size of an F-150 built like an F-250 though. Can run circles around the F-150 towing capacity and challenges closer to the F-250 in many areas. F-250 is more powerful mind you though.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

the industry standard for work trucks is "cheap" and that's about it.

There's a reason why most work trucks are basic White F-150's, no bells and whistles.

The Tundra is the size of an F-150 built like an F-250 though. Can run circles around the F-150 towing capacity and challenges closer to the F-250 in many areas. F-250 is more powerful mind you though.

I don't see any construction companies using Toyota trucks. That's one market they haven't made a dent in. The F-250 is the standard of the industry.