Asian Brands Lead in Segment Wins in U.S. Quality Study

Japanese and South Korean car brands topped 12 of 23 car and truck segments in this year's J.D. Power Initial Quality Study of vehicles sold in the U.S.

The wins ranged from subcompact cars (Mazda2) to large premium cars (Lexus LS). American brands were close behind with 11 wins. European makes led in four segments.

Power announced the results on Wednesday to the Automotive Press Assn. in Detroit.

The poll rates vehicles in terms of complaints per 100 units collected in an extensive survey of 83,400 owners during the first 90 days of ownership. This year's results cover 33 brands and 209 models.

The top five brands and their scores for 2013 are Porsche (80 problems per 100 vehicles), GMC (90), Lexus (94), Infiniti (95) and Chevrolet (97). The bottom five are Scion (161), Fiat (154), Mitsubishi (148), Nissan (142) and Mini (135). The industry average is 113 problems per 100 vehicles.

Among carmakers, General Motors Co. models captured top ratings in eight vehicle categories, five more than any other company.

Almost two-thirds of complaints this year are about design issues electronic features that are difficult to use, for example rather than malfunctions, such as loose trim or misbehaving transmissions, says Power's global automotive vice president David Sargent.

The most-mentioned flaws this year are voice recognition systems (by a wide margin), Bluetooth connectivity features, wind noise, interior materials that scuff or soil easily and clunky navigation systems. Sargent notes that none of these issues relates to reliability, which along with exterior styling is the top reason buyers cite in selecting a new vehicle.

Power updated its questionnaire and switched to an invitational online format, so this year's findings don't directly compare with last year's results. But as always, lower scores mean higher reported quality.