KOREAN CARS FLEX MUSCLE
Porsche 911 is called best as vehicle quality stays flat for 2019
The three Korean automotive brands are producing the highestquality vehicles in the U.S., according to an influential annual survey by J.D. Power.
Genesis, Kia and Hyundai – all part of the same Korean manufacturing group – took the first, second and third slots, respectively, for the second straight year in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). Their electronics performance was especially strong.
But if you want the highest-quality vehicle on the market, you’ll have to save up for the Porsche 911, a luxury sport coupe that ranked No. 1 among all models.
The 2019 J.D. Power IQS survey gauges how new vehicles are faring in their first 90 days. The study plays an influential role in shaping public perceptions of automotive brands and vehicles, as automakers typically tout their performance to customers.
It doesn’t gauge long-term reliability, value or popularity. Instead, it tracks defects and shortcomings, such as poorly performing infotainment and problems with advanced safety systems.
Land Rover and Jaguar, luxury British brands owned by Indiabased Tata Motors, placed second to last and last, respectively.
Overall, vehicle quality stayed flat for the 2019 model year, marking the first time it hasn’t improved in five
years, J.D. Power said.
“Automakers continue to make progress in areas like infotainment that attract a lot of consumer attention,” Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, said in a statement. “However, some traditional problems crept up this year including paint imperfections, brake and suspension noises, engines not starting and the ‘check engine’ light coming on early in the ownership experience.”
He also said more people are having issues with their advanced driver assistance systems, which are critical for building consumer trust in future automated vehicles.
How the major brands fared (number of problems per 100 vehicles):
❚ Genesis (63)
❚ Kia (70)
❚ Hyundai (71)
❚ Ford (83)
❚ Lincoln (84)
❚ Chevrolet (85)
❚ Nissan (86)
❚ Dodge (90)
❚ Lexus (90)
❚ Toyota (90)
❚ Buick (92)
❚ GMC (94)
❚ Mazda (94)
❚ Mercedes-Benz (94)
❚ Porsche (96)
❚ Honda (98)
❚ Cadillac (100)
❚ Jeep (100)
❚ Infiniti (101)
❚ BMW (102)
❚ Ram (105)
❚ Audi (106)
❚ Mini (107)
❚ Acura (110)
❚ Chrysler (113)
❚ Subaru (113)
❚ Volkswagen (113)
❚ Volvo (114)
❚ Alfa Romeo (118)
❚ Mitsubishi (121)
❚ Land Rover (123) ❚ Jaguar (130)
One automaker was not measured: Tesla.
“For certain states, we need the manufacturer’s permission for us to contact their customers,” J.D. Power said in a statement. “These states make up approximately 70% of Tesla’s sales volume, and Tesla does not give us approval in these states. (All other automakers do give permission.) Therefore we only have responses from states which comprise about 30% of Tesla’s sales volume, and our current rules preclude us from reporting publicly on what may be an unrepresentative sample of customers.”