Genesis, Kia, Hyundai top US quality survey

Hyundai Motor Group’s three automotive brands – Genesis, Kia and Hyundai – have claimed the top three positions in North America’s most prestigious new-vehicle quality award for the first time in its 32-year history.

The South Korean car-making giant’s new luxury brand Genesis, which launches in Australia later this year, replaced Kia at the top of the 2018 JD Power Initial Quality Study in its second year as a stand-alone brand, with Hyundai placing third.

Kia had topped the JD Power quality study in 2016 and 2017, when Genesis placed second and Porsche was third (one better than this year), and has been now the top-ranked mass-market brand for four consecutive years.

Combined with quality improvements by US brands Ford (fifth), Chevrolet (sixth), Lincoln (seventh), RAM (eighth) and Cadillac (12th), the Korean brands helped push long-time quality leaders Toyota and Honda below the industry average.

The only Japanese brands in this year’s top 10 were Lexus (eighth) and Nissan (10th). The only other brands above the industry average in 2018 were MINI (equal 12th), Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz (equal 14th).

Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo performed the worst thanks to complex infotainment systems, said JD Power.

Once again, JD Power's Initial Quality Study scores reflect the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership.

This year’s survey was based on responses from 75,712 US buyers and lessees of new 2018 model-year vehicles between February and May.

It ranked were 31 brands — 13 of them premium — after examining 233 areas organised into eight categories: Exterior, Seats, Driving Experience, Engine/Transmission, Features/Controls/Displays (FCD), Interior, HVAC and infotainment/navigation.

JD Power said that across the industry, new-vehicle quality improved for the fourth consecutive year and has reached its best level ever. The industry average of 93 problems per 100 vehicles for 2018 models is four points better than in 2017.

While Genesis owners reported just 68 problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda was the biggest improver with a 25-point gain, followed by Mitsubishi with 111 problems per 100 vehicles.

JD Power said the biggest improvements were in vehicle exterior (wind noise and paint quality), seating systems and vehicle interior.

However, infotainment systems remain the biggest problem area for new-vehicle owners despite improving for the third year in a row after fewer issues were reported with built-in voice recognition systems.

In contrast, complaints with driver assistance systems increased by another 20 per cent this year, with 3.5 problems reported per 100 vehicles in 2018.

The Porsche 911 had the lowest number of problems reported per 100 vehicles (48) -- the lowest problem incidence ever recorded in this generation of the JD Power study (2013-2018).

Ford had more segment winners than any other brand – five including the Expedition (large SUV), Mustang (sporty car), Super Duty (large heavy-duty pickup), Lincoln Continental (midsize premium car) and Lincoln MKC (compact premium SUV).

Category winners included the Toyota Corolla (Compact Car), BMW 4 Series (Compact Premium Car), Nissan Altima (Midsize Car), Lincoln Continental (Midsize Premium Car), Hyundai Tucson (Small SUV), Buick Envision (Compact SUV), Lincoln MKC (Compact Premium SUV), Kia Sorento (Midsize SUV), BMW X6 (Midsize Premium SUV) and Chevrolet Silverado (Large Light Duty Pickup).

“There’s no question that most automakers are doing a great job of listening to consumers and are producing vehicle quality of the highest caliber,” said Dave Sargent, Vice President of Global Automotive at JD Power.

“That said, some vehicle owners are still finding problems. As vehicles become more complex and automated, it is critical that consumers have complete confidence in automakers’ ability to deliver fault-free vehicles.

“As we look to the future, avoiding problems with safety and driver-assistance technology is critical.

“In an era of increasingly automated vehicles, vehicle owners have to be comfortable using foundational technologies like lane-keep assistance and collision avoidance. Otherwise, automakers will not easily overcome consumer resistance to fully automated (driverless) cars.”