A new survey measuring automotive quality follows on from Hyundai Motor’s impressive showing in a recent JD Power and Associates report, while General Motors’ brands were at or near the top in 11 of 19 vehicle categories.
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According to the Associated Press, Nissan Motor’s Infiniti luxury brand and Mercedes-Benz scored the highest among individual nameplates in the survey being released on Monday by San Diego-based marketing research firm Strategic Vision, which queries customers on a variety of quality issues and their satisfaction in the first three months of ownership.
Volkswagen of America, coupled with the Audi brand, was the top full-line corporation in total quality, AP added.
The report said Strategic Vision surveyed roughly 40,000 new owners of 2004 models between October and November. Industry-wide, total quality rose slightly from 2003 and has risen nearly every year since 1998 – Strategic Vision began the survey in 1995.
Associated Press said Hyundai, a once-suspect South Korean brand, ranked 14th out of 37 brands in total quality experience in the new survey, up from 23rd last year.
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By GlobalDataAmong brands that typically sell for under $23,000, Hyundai ranked second behind GM’s Saturn nameplate but ahead of third-placed Honda, AP said, noting that Hyundai was at or near the top in three vehicle categories – small car (Elantra, tied with the Saturn Ion); compact car (Sonata, just behind the Chevrolet Malibu); and small sport utility vehicle (Santa Fe).
AP said that, in the closely watched JD Power initial quality study released last month, Hyundai was the most improved of 37 nameplates, scoring 29% better than 2003 and moving up 16 positions to rank seventh.
“This is the second part of the story,” Dan Gorrell, automotive partner at Strategic Vision, told AP. “It’s not just reliability. These Hyundai owners are exceedingly happy with their products.”
GM models reportedly had the highest or nearly the highest score in 11 categories, including large car (Buick LeSabre, tied with the Chrysler Concorde); sports car over $25,000 (Chevy Corvette); medium specialty coupe (Chevy Monte Carlo); near-luxury car (Cadillac Deville, just behind the Infiniti G35 sedan); convertible over $30,000 (Cadillac XLR); mid-size SUV (Saturn Vue, tied with the Nissan Murano); luxury SUV (Cadillac Escalade); full-size pickup (Chevrolet Avalanche) and heavy-duty pickup (Chevrolet Silverado).
Associated Press said Nissan, including Infiniti, saw every one of its models score higher than the average quality score in its specific segment. Nissan was followed by Honda (83%), Volkswagen (69%), GM (64%), Ford (61%), Chrysler (52%) and Toyota (47%).
Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand, a fixture at the top of most quality surveys, remained in the top five in the latest Strategic Vision study, but the Toyota brand itself came in at 26th, AP added – Toyota was passed by brands such as Hyundai, Ford and Chevrolet.
“What this tells us is buyers appreciate the Toyota brand, but the models aren’t going the extra step for those who want something a bit more stylish or more power,” Gorrell told Associated Press, adding: “They don’t break, but there isn’t much flair.”
