JD Power surveys are one of the most reliable surveys across the world and the latest survey in the US has found out that Lexus builds some of the most dependable cars in the US with a score of 99 PP100. When you separate the premium and non-premiums segments, Buick, the GM subsidiary, has managed to inch ahead of the Japs to become the most dependable car maker in the budget segments.
As for Lexus, this is the seventh time that the premium arm of Toyota has won this coveted award by scoring top points in four out of nineteen categories overall. The study measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the past 12 months by original owners of 2015 model-year vehicles. A lower score reflects higher quality, and the study covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories. The overall industry average improves by 14 PP100 to 142 PP100 from 156 PP100 in 2017.
“For the most part, automotive manufacturers continue to meet consumers’ vehicle dependability expectations,” said Dave Sargent, Vice President, Global Automotive at J.D. Power. “A 9% improvement is extremely impressive, and vehicle dependability is, without question, at its best level ever. For people looking for a new or used model, now is a good time to find that special vehicle.” Also, the study found out that the maximum number of problems were related to the infotainment system, especially with the Bluetooth pairing and voice recognition function. Another key find is that the reliability chasm between mass-market and premium cars has reduced with the mass-market cars improving thanks to better quality management and new manufacturing processes and designs.
The Fiat-Chrysler group has improved quite a bit over its 2017 performance but still remains in the lower rungs of the JD power ranks. Infiniti, the Nissan brand, has seen a huge jump, climbing 25 positions to reach 4th rank in the premium segment.
