J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Toyota Motor Sales Captures Top Corporate Ranking in Vehicle Dependability

While Toyota and Honda Continue to Dominate, the Big Three Domestics Make Important Strides in Long-Term Quality Improvement

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 29 -- With seven models topping their vehicle segments and Lexus ranking highest among nameplates, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. captures the top corporate ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today.

The success of Toyota Motor Sales is further evidenced in the improvements of two of its segment-leading models. The Toyota Corolla, which consistently performs well in the highly competitive compact car segment, improves an impressive 30 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) from 2003. The Toyota MR2 Spyder also makes significant improvements, recording 20 fewer problem incidences per 100 vehicles in the sporty car segment.

The Big Three Domestic manufacturers all record improvements in their corporate performances in the study over 2003. General Motors, which improves 2 PP100, remains the only Domestic manufacturer ranking above the industry average. However, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler make significant headway, improving 12 and 9 PP100, respectively. The most improved Domestic nameplates include Ford (improving 19 PP100), Lincoln (18), Mercury (16), Dodge (14), Cadillac (13), Plymouth (13), Chevrolet (10) and Chrysler (10).

"The Domestics are putting their money where their mouths are in terms of consistent long-term quality improvement," said Joe Ivers, partner and executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, while the Domestics continue to outpace the Europeans in long-term quality, the Japanese continue to dominate."

Segment-leading models highlighting the Domestic quality improvements include the Chrysler Concorde and the Ford Ranger, each improving by more than 20 percent in their segment, and the redesigned GMC Sierra HD in the heavy- duty full-size pickup segment, which improves by more than 30 percent over its predecessor.

At the nameplate level, Lexus ranks highest for the 10th consecutive year. Lexus is followed in the rankings by Buick, Infiniti, Lincoln and Cadillac, respectively. The most improved brands over 2003 are Kia (77 PP100 improvement), Suzuki (38) and Audi (23), although all three continue to perform below the industry average.

The Vehicle Dependability Study measures problem symptoms of 3-year-old vehicles, primarily in categories representing malfunctions; noise, vibration and harshness; driveability; dependability; and safety. The VDS is one of three J.D. Power and Associates quality metrics, along with the Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures quality after 90 days of ownership, and the Automotive, Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, which measures customer perceptions on the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles. The 2004 IQS was released in April, and the 2004 APEAL Study is scheduled to be released in late September.

"The metrics measured in VDS, IQS and APEAL represent a kind of 'triple crown' of vehicle performance, which are all essential in providing a complete picture of the ownership experience," said Ivers. "Maintaining very high levels of quality off the assembly line as well as three years later, while also appealing to consumers in terms of design, is no small feat. Among the 2001 model-year vehicles included in the rankings for the 2004 VDS, 2001 IQS and 2001 APEAL studies, only the Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES 300 and Lexus LS 430 have ranked highest in their segments across all three studies."

The 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and light trucks.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. Media e-mail contact: michael.greywitt@jdpa.com and john.tews@jdpa.com