The Best Automaker in Initial Quality is a Big Surprise
For the first time in 27 years, the leader in the JD Power Initial Quality Study is a non-premium brand.
Kia, tops the list this year, with the Korean brand scoring the highest overall with 83 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), followed closely by Porsche with 84 PP100. Kia was the best non-premium brand in 2015 and now it has moved on to score highest of all car brands. Hyundai (92 PP100), Toyota (93 PP100) and BMW (94 PP100) round out the top five.
This information is based on a 233-question survey that 80,000 new car buyers are given, asking them to identify problems experienced in the first 90 days of ownership, with a lower numerical score representing higher quality.
At the very bottom of the list this year is Smart (216 PP100). The small car brand traded the second-last position for the bottom with Fiat (174 PP100), which had a worse score than it did last year but was saved from being last by the poor performance of Smart. Volvo (152 PP100), Land Rover (132 PP100) and MINI (127 PP100) round out the bottom five on the list.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Most Dependable Cars of 2016: J.D. Power
The most improved award is a tie between the Chrysler and Jeep brands, both of which improved by 28 PP100 this year. American automakers in general performed well, with J.D. Power saying that for the first time in 30 years, the Detroit three achieved a combined average of less that than the combined average of import brands. The entire industry is also up, with new vehicle quality improving by six percent year-over-year.
In a theme demonstrated by Kia, this is also the first time since 2006 that non-premium brands have fewer issues that premium brands.
In the individual vehicle category, GM scooped up seven top awards, Toyota took six while Hyundai and Volkswagen both took four each.
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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kia and hyundai are well on the way to the top of the automotive world. i just chuckle when these dough heads rant on about kia junk....ya right. the people that buy them know different. You cannot beat kia for quality and price point, and it won't be too long until they will win just on quality regardless of price point. i just bought a 2017 Sportage SX with the turbo motor. A quality ride any way to slice it. Solid, quiet and beautiful inside and out.
Weird I thought this was the case for a while. German luxury hasn't been more "reliable" in years. They are getting cocky with dozens of different variations of dozens of models in production. It's asking for the same trouble GM ran into in the 2000's although they simply had too many brands/models all together. I think the overall trend will be that the asian brands will be the new luxury in a few years.