Detroit Three close quality gap, J.D. Power finds
NEW YORK — There’s a message for Detroit’s automakers in the new J.D. Power and Associates rankings: Good work. Now go back and do it again.
The marketing and consulting company’s closely watched annual study of vehicle quality, released Monday, found that Ford, General Motors and Chrysler made strides last year but still lag behind their foreign competitors.
At a time when Detroit is desperate to start turning out cars and trucks that people want to buy, the top two brands in the study were foreign cars: Lexus, Toyota’s luxury line; and Porsche. GM’s Cadillac finished third.
The survey measures mechanical and design problems that show up in the first 90 days of ownership. The 2009 models turned out by the Detroit Three improved by an average of 10 percent compared with an industry average of 8 percent.
Toyota, which overtook GM last year as the world’s biggest automaker, dominated. It swept 10 categories, and its plant in Japan that builds the Lexus SC 430 and Toyota Corolla took the award for top plant.
For GM, only two brands performed above average: Cadillac and Chevrolet. The four brands it is purging in bankruptcy — Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab — were also its worst rated.
"There are too many cars and not enough consumers," said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J cash advance.D. Power "For any vehicle that is lagging in quality … that’s a difficult position for them to be in."
Sargent said the quality of Detroit’s passenger cars is now roughly equal to foreign automakers’. And GM has several new, small cars on the way that analysts say should help it compete with established offerings from the likes of Toyota and Honda.
The road may be tougher for Chrysler. Cars like the sporty 500 made by its new owner, Italy’s Fiat Group SpA, won’t make it to the U.S. until late next year.
Chrysler’s scores improved from last year, and it claimed five of the 10 most improved vehicles. But all three of its brands — Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep — were below the industry average.
It did tie for one award: The PT Cruiser shared the top honor for compact activity vehicle with Honda’s CR-V. But Chrysler is discontinuing the Cruiser.
Ford Motor Co., the only one of the Detroit Three that has managed to stay out of bankruptcy, improved with three of its four brands: Ford, Mercury and Volvo. But the Lincoln’s score fell, and only Ford and Mercury performed above the industry average.
Filed under: management by Specialist