J.D. Powers released their Initial Quality Study today and the big winners were Porsche, Hyundai, and GM.
Porsche ranked as the highest premium brand in initial quality and also snagged the top spot among all the manufacturers for the second consecutive year. They had 74 issues reported per 100 vehicles which was far better than the industry average of 116 issues per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. The second most highly rated brand was Jaguar (87/100) followed by Lexus (92/100) and Hyundai (94/100).
Despite finishing fourth for Hyundai, the news was all good as that rank represents a six spot increase over last year’s ranking. They also received five overall rewards which is the most in the company’s history. The Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Genesis, Kia Cadenza, and Kia Sportage all received wards and helped Hyundai become the highest ranked non-premium brand in the survey.
The brand with the most overall awards went to General Motors who received a total of six different awards in this year’s J.D. Powers Initial Quality Study. The six recognized vehicles were the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevy Silverado HD, Chevy Suburban, GMC Terrain and GMC Yukon. This is particularly welcome news for General Motors who continues to make news for its handling of the ignition switch recall and numerous subsequent recalls.
At the bottom of the pack, Fiat came in as the worst overall with 206 problems per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. Jeep snagged second worst with 146/100 making it a rough day for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Rounding out the bottom of the pack were Mitsubishi (145/100) and Scion (140/100).
Check out our review of the 2013 Porsche Panamera GTS…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
