LEXUS, BUICK QUALITY IS TOPS TOYOTA, GM BEAT COMPETITION.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer Japanese and American car brands took top honors in the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Initial Quality Study, with Toyota-owned Lexus and GM's Buick besting the competition, the survey firm said Wednesday. Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. captured 15 of the top 18 model segment awards, a nod to improvements made in their Japanese and North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. manufacturing plants. The Lexus SC The Lexus SC series is a personal luxury coupé sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. The SC features a front engine, rear-wheel drive design and seating for up to four passengers. 430 ranked highest for the second consecutive year, with 54 problems per 100 vehicles reported for the premium luxury car. The hybrid-powered Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. received the highest ranking for compacts, beating out the Kia Spectra The Kia Spectra, or Kia Cerato, is a compact car / small family car produced by the Korean automaker Kia Motors since 2000. It is currently Kia's top-selling vehicle in the United States. , Honda Civic The Honda Civic is a compact car manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the and Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a compact car produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the bestselling car in the world, with over 30 million sold as of 2007. . The Toyota Scion tC Scion tC is a compact car introduced by Japanese automaker Toyota in 2004 as a concept car under its recently introduced Scion brand name. The Scion tC was designed to appeal to the Generation Y market. and the Toyota RAV4 received the highest rankings in the sporty car and entry SUV classes. ``Toyota's shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: is quality, reliability and durability. This is their game, their history, their heritage and their strong point,'' said Jim Hossack, a consultant with Tustin-based AutoPacific. `'Their strong point may not be the be all, end all. But for initial quality, this is Toyota's thing.'' Of course, the Japanese automaker received help from its plant in Tahara, Japan. Stellar production of the Lexus GS The Lexus GS is a series of mid-size luxury sports sedans / executive cars sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. The first GS, based on the platform and running gear of the Toyota Crown, was introduced in 1991 in Japan and two years later in the United States, Europe and 300/GS430 helped Toyota win the top award in plant quality. Nissan won the bronze award Several organizations issue awards with this name:
Despite Toyota's above par quality standards, the company announced Wednesday a recall of more than 750,000 pickup trucks and sport utilities because of suspension problems. ``It's a little ironic, isn't it?'' said David Healy, analyst with Burnham Securities in Arizona. As for GM's initial quality performance, ``it closes the gap with the Japanese, but the public doesn't realize their quality and believes they (GM) build a piece of junk.'' ``And GM is not kidding themselves that this (quality study) is the cure for their problems,'' Healy said. Regardless, Livingston Motor Car Co. in Woodland Hills has a hard time keeping GM cars on its lot. Charles Nicgorski, fleet sales manager, said the trucks sell extremely well and the cars require little maintenance, ``which can create a tough situation for us because our garage is a portion of our business. And some of these cars don't need oil changes for at least 12,000 miles,'' he said. Of the shiny new trucks on the GM dealer's lot, a diesel-powered Sierra HD with a crew cab was selling for $48,350. The same make and model also received the highest quality standards in J.D. Power's heavy-duty full-size pickup category. ``A lot of contractors and heavy recreational-use operators like this car because it's dependable and requires little maintenance,'' said Nicgorski, also noting the truck isn't as flashy as some of its rivals. Aside from trucks, GM's Buick Century and LeSabre were the highest ranked in the premium midsize and full-size car categories. Hossack said it's not that surprising when you consider that the J.D. Power study measures quality standards from the first 90 days of ownership and is based on 62,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2005 cars and trucks. But then again, ``GM has more models than I've had hot dinners ... so they win a lot of categories.'' Buick also outperformed Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Honda problems per 100 vehicles. Surprising some analysts, Hummer had a 36 percent reduction in reported problems in 2005. Neal Oddes, director of product research at Westlake Village-based J.D. Power, said the automaker was able to do this by installing better sealing moldings and reducing cabin noise. ``And let's not downplay fuel consumption. The Hummer does improve in this area, too,'' Oddes said. Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): chart Chart: QUALITY CHECK SOURCE: J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Initial Quality Study Gregg Miller/Staff Artist |
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