BEST OF THE BEST J.D. POWER AND ASSOCIATES' ANNUAL VEHICLE SURVEY SHOWS FOREIGN CARS ONCE AGAIN RULE THE ROAD.Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX Staff Writer WESTLAKE VILLAGE - New vehicle owners gave manufacturers improved marks for quality last year and for the first time indicated that the looks and functionality of a car or truck are as important as performance, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a widely watched J.D. Power and Associates study released Wednesday. Foreign cars, as usual, did the best. U.S. cars had their share of successes, but the real star was Hyundai. Brands with the fewest defects and malfunctions include BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. , Chrysler, Hyundai, Lexus, Porsche and Toyota. Brands with the fewest design problems include GMC GMC See: Guaranteed Mortgage Certificate , Hyundai, Jaguar, Lexus, Nissan and Porsche. Overall, the top five brands with the fewest defects were all from foreign manufacturers: Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota and Jaguar. The quality study's industry average was 124 problems per 100 vehicles. Five domestic brands finished above the average and seven below it. ``This is not a year for setting new records for domestics,'' Joe Ivers, Power's executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research, said. ``Ford and GM are able to produce vehicles every bit as good as Toyota. They only do it on some vehicles.'' The company's 2006 Initial Quality Study was expanded with more questions and separated into two categories -- design and production quality. The change makes overall comparisons with past years impossible. But Ivers said a parallel survey using the old method found that industrywide quality improved 8 percent. The study, in its 20th year, is based on 63,607 responses from consumers who have owned or leased a 2006 car or truck for three months. ``We find that because there is so much new technology on the vehicles and the design time is getting so much shorter there continues to be a new crop of problems,'' Ivers said. The current survey was the first time Hyundai finished atop the nonpremium nameplates, and it set off a celebration at the company's North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. headquarters in Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, city (1990 pop. 53,691), Orange co., S Calif.; inc. 1957. Chiefly residential, Fountain Valley also has diverse manufactures, including apparel, computer equipment, semiconductors, and medical equipment. A U.S. navy helicopter facility is there. . A barbecue is planned for today, said spokesman Miles Johnson. The company's Tucson was the highest ranking compact multiactivity vehicle. The Sonata sonata (sənä`tə), in music, type of instrumental composition that arose in Italy in the 17th cent. At first the term merely distinguished an instrumental piece from a piece with voice, which was called a cantata. , Azera, Elantra and Tiburon all also finished among the top three in their classes. ``Outperforming incredibly outstanding competitors at their own game for the first time in the same year is a major milestone for Hyundai,'' company President and Chief Executive Officer Owen Koh said in a statement. Ivers said other manufacturers have taken notice. ``They are definitely in the major leagues now,'' he said. He also noted that the company has become a benchmark for quality design. But Lexus and Toyota models continue to dominate, taking 11 of 19 segment awards. Lexus models finished atop each of their categories. And it's been the top nameplate since 2001. The Lexus LS The Lexus LS is a full-size luxury sedan that serves as the flagship of Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. Since Lexus' 1989 debut, four generations of the V8-powered, rear-wheel drive Lexus LS have been produced. 430 tied the Porsche Cayenne The Porsche Cayenne is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by the German automaker Porsche since 2002, and North American sales began in 2003. It is the first V8 engined vehicle built by Porsche since 1995, when the Porsche 928 was discontinued. for fewest problems in the industry. Toyota remains a quality benchmark, too, and earned five model awards. Company spokesman Mike Michels said the new format is welcome. ``Power gives us a great amount of texture and detail and it allows all the car manufacturers to really take action,'' he said. Of the Big Three domestic automakers, General Motors Corp. made the strongest showing. Its Chevrolet Silverado won for large pickup and the Pontiac Grand Prix The Pontiac Grand Prix is an automobile produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors. First introduced as part of Pontiac's full-size model offering for the 1962 model year, the Grand Prix name has also been applied to cars in the personal luxury car market segment and the won for large car. The Chrysler Town & Country was the top-ranked van and the Ford Ranger The Ford Ranger name is used on two distinct and unrelated pickup truck lines by the Ford Motor Company
GM spokeswoman Janine Fruehan said the company is always striving to do better. ``We're never pleased with our performance. Our goal is to become the industry leader in quality,'' she said. ``Toyota is clearly a formidable competitor and we know that. ... We're working very hard every day to bring our quality levels up to compete on an even scale with Toyota.'' greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3743 CAPTION(S): 6 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) LEXUS (2 -- color) TOYOTA (3 -- color) PORSCHE (4 -- color) HYUNDAI (5 -- color) no caption (auto) (6) A row of Cadillac Escalades sits on display at an auto show An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. in April. Cadillac ranked better than the industry average for problems in the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates' vehicle survey. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Box: (1) WE WANT TO KNOW: (2) Six Asian manufacturers in top 10 for initial quality Source: J.D. Power and Associates and Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. |
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