JD Powers Initial Quality - BMW kicks Honda out of top ten

[Kirby]

Nissan, Hummer vault up in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study; Lexus keeps top slot

DALE JEWETT | Automotive News
Posted Date: 5/18/05
DETROIT -- Nissan and Hummer roared back from dismal performances a year ago to post double-digit gains on the closely watched Initial Quality Study from J.D. Power and Associates.

Lexus maintained its spot at the top of the ranking of quality after 90 days of ownership with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles, a 6.9-percent gain from last year. BMW and Audi vaulted into the top 10 this year, displacing Honda

and Mercury.

 

[Kirby]

JD Powers - Excerpts

Toyota Motor Corporation and General Motors Corporation, the two largest automobile manufacturers in the world, capture 15 of the 18 top model segment awards, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) released today.

In the study, Toyota Motor Corporation earns 10 of the top model segment awards, with the Lexus SC 430 honored as the highest-ranking model for the second consecutive year, at 54 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Other Toyota models earning segment awards include the Toyota Prius (Compact Car), Scion tC (Sporty Car) and Toyota RAV4 (Entry SUV).

General Motors earns five top model segment awards, including those for the Chevrolet Malibu/Malibu Maxx (Entry Midsize Car), Buick Century (Premium Midsize Car) and Chevrolet Suburban (Full-Size SUV).



Among European plants, Ford Motor Company’s Jaguar plant in Halewood, Liverpool, U.K., receives the Gold Plant Quality Award. BMW’s Regensburg, Germany, plant earns the Silver Plant Quality Award. BMW’s Munich and Porsche’s Stuttgart plants tie for the Bronze Plant Quality Award.


What IQS Measures

IQS is a model-level study. It measures 135 attributes across nine categories, including ride/handling/braking, engine and transmission, and a broad range of quality problems symptoms reported by vehicle owners.

The 2005 Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 62,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2005 model-year cars and trucks, who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. This industry benchmark study for new-vehicle initial quality is now in its 19th year.

 

[PhatBimmer]

About damn time too, overrated cars

 

[Kirby]

Here is another analysis of the JD Powers survey:

BMW leads European cars' advance in quality poll

Michael Shields, European auto correspondent, Reuters

German luxury automaker BMW led a broad advance by European brands in a closely watched US survey of new cars' quality, closing the gap on Ford Motor Co.'s luxury marque Jaguar, Europe's leader.

BMW vaulted eight places to rank third in the annual J.D. Power and Associates initial quality survey released late last week, behind Toyota Motor Corp's still-top-ranked Lexus brand and Jaguar, which advanced one spot to second.

DaimlerChrysler said its Mercedes brand began to harvest the fruits of its expensive campaign to fix problems that have scratched its smooth image, accelerating into a tie for fifth place from 10th position a year ago.

High marks in the J.D. Power survey give manufacturers bragging rights in a fiercely competitive market. Moreover, better-quality vehicles mean lower incentives for the manufacturer and higher resale values for buyers.

"Premium (carmaking) is not just innovation and emotional design, but also keeping quality at the highest level possible," a BMW spokesman said, stressing that the Munich-based manufacturer sought to place at or near the top of such surveys.

The BMW brand was able to reduce defects by 12.8 per cent, a percentage gain that only Hummer, Nissan and Scion could top.

The poll's broad audience and over 62,000 respondents make it a key tool for manufacturers to fine-tune glitches on their cars, especially for the US market, said Christoph Stuermer, senior market analyst for western Europe at the Global Insight consultancy.

"It is still number one, but only embedded within an overall marketing and branding strategy," he said.

Morgan Stanley noted to clients that all European brands improved, with the exception of Ford's Volvo and Land Rover.

European brands that bettered the industry average of 118 defects per 100 vehicles included Jaguar (88), BMW (95), Mercedes (104) and Audi (108), while Mini (130), Volvo (140), Porsche (147), Volkswagen (147) and Land Rover (149) lagged.