GM Lands Most Models at Top of J.D. Power Quality Survey

Source: Bloomberg

By Keith Naughton and John Irwin Jun 18, 2014 1:00 PM ET

General Motors Co. (GM), dogged by a widening recall crisis, still managed to place the most models atop one of the auto industry’s most closely watched quality measures, with its Chevrolet Malibu besting the Toyota Camry.

GM won six model segments, the most of any automaker, in J.D. Power & Associates’ annual Initial Quality Study released today. Three of GM’s four U.S. brands ranked above industry-average quality and its top-selling Chevy lineup placed sixth overall, trailing only Hyundai and Toyota among mainstream brands. South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. (005380) and its Kia Motors Corp. (000270) affiliate had five models win segments.

GM remained a leader in the study for the second consecutive year, even as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) reasserted itself in the rankings it dominated for most of the 28 years J.D. Power has conducted the consumer research. Toyota’s namesake brand ranked fifth in quality in the survey, up from sixth last year, while its Lexus luxury line ranked third, behind Porsche and Jaguar.

“The perception right now is that GM must have a lot of quality problems because of all these recalls,” David Sargent, J.D. Power vice president of global vehicle research, said in a telephone interview. “The truth is, they’re still one of the best in the industry.”



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-18/gm-lands-most-models-at-top-of-j-d-power-quality-survey.html