J.D. Power Reports on Dependability; Japanese Brands Dominate
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J.D. Power Reports on Dependability; Japanese Brands Dominate
http://www.motortrend.com/features/news/112_news11/
German autos, despite high prices and celebrated engineering, don't always hold up very well, according to an authoritative study of 4- and 5-year-old vehicles. The 1998 models in the study were designed and developed before today's fierce pressure to slash costs, meaning current German cars and trucks could fare even worse several years from now if their makers' cost-cutting has slipped into corner-cutting.
Porsche and BMW scored above average in the Vehicle Dependability Index (VDI) study by influential consultant J.D. Power and Associates. But quality problems kept Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen below the industry average.
The scores are significant because "long-term durability is an important consideration" to more than half of new vehicle buyers, according to Brian Walters, director of product research at Power. A reputation as not dependable also hurts resale value and makes owners less likely to buy the same brand again, he says.
Perennially strong Japanese brands again dominated the Power VDI, announced Thursday. The top five scorers -- that is, the five with fewest problems after four to five years on the road -- are Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Honda and Toyota. Only four of the traditional Detroit brands were above average: General Motors' Buick and Cadillac and Ford Motor's Lincoln and Mercury.
The results are based on a survey of 30,000 owners of 1998 models, some of which were sold in 1997. Good news for buyers: The dependability index roughly tracks Power's study of new vehicle quality. That means vehicles with few problems new tend to have fewer problems as they age. There are exceptions. Subaru, for example, scored near the bottom in new car quality on Power's latest survey of problems the first 90 days of ownership, called the IQS, or initial quality survey. But Subaru is better than average in the VDI. Saturn scored high on the IQS but below average in the VDI.
Overall, though, Power says the latest VDI shows that vehicles are becoming more dependable.
German autos, despite high prices and celebrated engineering, don't always hold up very well, according to an authoritative study of 4- and 5-year-old vehicles. The 1998 models in the study were designed and developed before today's fierce pressure to slash costs, meaning current German cars and trucks could fare even worse several years from now if their makers' cost-cutting has slipped into corner-cutting.
Porsche and BMW scored above average in the Vehicle Dependability Index (VDI) study by influential consultant J.D. Power and Associates. But quality problems kept Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen below the industry average.
The scores are significant because "long-term durability is an important consideration" to more than half of new vehicle buyers, according to Brian Walters, director of product research at Power. A reputation as not dependable also hurts resale value and makes owners less likely to buy the same brand again, he says.
Perennially strong Japanese brands again dominated the Power VDI, announced Thursday. The top five scorers -- that is, the five with fewest problems after four to five years on the road -- are Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Honda and Toyota. Only four of the traditional Detroit brands were above average: General Motors' Buick and Cadillac and Ford Motor's Lincoln and Mercury.
The results are based on a survey of 30,000 owners of 1998 models, some of which were sold in 1997. Good news for buyers: The dependability index roughly tracks Power's study of new vehicle quality. That means vehicles with few problems new tend to have fewer problems as they age. There are exceptions. Subaru, for example, scored near the bottom in new car quality on Power's latest survey of problems the first 90 days of ownership, called the IQS, or initial quality survey. But Subaru is better than average in the VDI. Saturn scored high on the IQS but below average in the VDI.
Overall, though, Power says the latest VDI shows that vehicles are becoming more dependable.
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that is, the five with fewest problems after four to five years on the road -- are Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Honda and Toyota
Pretty dumb! Are that stupid to not realize that those cars come out of the same plants?
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