Asian Brands Challenged in U.S. Reliability Ratings

Japanese car brands continue to dominate a closely watched annual report on new-car reliability by Consumer Reports. But two more non-Asian brands GMC and Volvo have joined Audi in the top 10.

The New Jersey-based magazine announced this year's analysis at a meeting of the Automotive Press Assn. in Detroit.

Lexus jumped from third place last year to regain the top position in 2013. Toyota's self-named brand remained in second. Acura climbed from seventh in 2012 to third this year. The other Asian brands in the top 10 include Mazda (5th), Infiniti (Nissan) (6th), Honda (8th) and Subaru (10th).

But not all Asian brands scored well this year. Nissan fell nine positions to 22nd in 2013. Hyundai and its Kia affiliate lost four and six positions, respectively.

Audi has climbed from 28th spot in 2011 to fourth in 2013. Volvo advanced 13 positions in the past year.

GMC, General Motors' American pickup truck and SUV unit, is this year's highest-ranked domestic brand. Ford and its Lincoln luxury unit remain at the bottom of the list. CR says the company's scores have been hurt by customer complaints about electronic glitches, rough-shifting transmissions and new models that don't match the reliability of the vehicles they replaced.