Buick ties with Lexus for Reliability
BY TOM INCANTALUPO | tom.incantalupo@newsday.com
6:06 PM EDT, August 9, 2007
Still think only the Japanese can build good cars? Try this on for size: General Motors' Buick division tied with Toyota's Lexus division as tops in a new survey released Thursday of vehicle dependabilty after three years on the road.
The survey, among the most closely watched of the auto quality studies done by the California-based market researchers J.D. Power and Associates, marks the first time in at least a dozen years that Lexus has had to share the topmost ranking, said Neal Oddes, Power's director of product research.
Last year, Buick ranked third in the survey, which is based on questionnaires filled out by owners. "Buick keeps making incremental improvements," Oddes said.
And Lexus slipped a little, apparently because of some customer complaints about one of its redesigned SUV's. The study measures problems experienced by original owners of the vehicles -- in this case 53,000 owners of 2004 models. Buick and Lexus each had 145 problems per 100 vehicles.
Although Buick has replaced all of its models with newer ones since 2004, Oddes noted that its current models scored about average in another of Power's surveys, measuring quality after only three months on the road. It's normal, he said, for older models to score higher than newer ones as initial design and manufacturing bugs are worked out.
Buick spokesman Dave Darovitz, based in Detroit, noted also that the current products are produced in the same plants. "We still have the foundations of quality -- the people and the plants," he said.
There was no immediate comment from Lexus.
Following Buick and Lexus in rankings were Cadillac, Mercury and Honda and Toyota, in that order, proving, Oddes said, that one does not have to buy a luxury brand to get a dependable vehicle. "With three non-premium nameplates -- Buick, Honda and Mercury -- ranking within the top five, and particularly with Buick tying with Lexus for the top rank, consumers seeking a vehicle with strong dependability have good choices at various price levels," he said.
Indeed, some luxury makes continue to rank below average in the study, including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Audi and Saab.
The lowest-ranked brand again was Land Rover, Ford Motor Co.'s premium SUV unit, with 398 problems per 100 vehicles. But Oddes said during a morning teleconference that its score had actually improved from last year's survey, which found 438 problems per 100 vehicles.
Land Rover said in a statement that the survey "shows that we still have work to do," but said it was trying to identify specific areas of customer dissatisfaction. "Land Rover is committed to achieving the levels of quality our customers expect of us," it said.
The new Power study is another documenting that the so-called "quality gap" between Japanese and American models is closing and, in many cases, is history. As Buick, Cadillac, Mercury and now-defunct Oldsmobile models ranked above average, those ranking below average included Toyota's Scion models, Mitsubishis, Nissans, Mazdas, Isuzus and Suzukis.
Toyota attributed the poor showing by Scion to customers' complaints about wind noise and weak engine performance in the xB.
But many domestic makes remain in the below-average category, perpetuating the stereotype, including all three of Chrysler Group's brands: Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler.
Said Buick's Darovitz, "We are ecstatic about this."
Improved results at GM flow from changes made to the vehicle development process starting about five years ago, Jamie Hresko, vice president for quality, told Bloomberg busness news in an interview.
``We've focused on things like a quieter interior, better powertrain performance,'' Hresko said. ``We're still battling a perception in the market that some brands have an advantage when it comes to quality.''
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
