WSJ: Lexus ranks No. 1
08-08-08, 10:39 AM
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WSJ: Lexus ranks No. 1
Lexus Nabs No. 1 Ranking In Durability Study
By SHARON TERLEP
Wall Street Journal August 8, 2008; Page B3
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division led an influential vehicle-durability study, blowing past General Motors Corp.'s Buick division after the two brands shared the top spot last year.
J.D. Power and Associates' annual Vehicle Dependability Study named Lexus the No. 1 brand among 37 sold in the U.S. The victory further solidifies the Japanese luxury brand's reputation for top-notch quality and aids Toyota's drive to attract repeat buyers.
Toyota
Lexus hopes the dependability of cars like its LS460 will help draw repeat buyers.
The high-volume Toyota brand finished fourth in the survey, while Toyota's Scion brand finished well below average.
General Motors, Honda Motor Co., BMW AG and Ford Motor Co. were other companies with brands in the Top 10. Buick finished sixth this year, while Ford's Mercury division finished at No. 2.
Unlike J.D. Power and Associates' better-known Initial Quality Survey, which polls buyers about their experience with vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership, the durability report is based on perceptions of the first three years of ownership of a vehicle. Typically, people begin considering buying a new car after three years, the firm said.
Some 52,000 people were polled for the survey during the first four months of this year.
Toyota easily bested its competitors in awards for individual vehicles in each segment, receiving 11 of 20 individual awards. U.S. auto makers had three segment leaders, while Honda, Hyundai and Mazda each had one.
"The Japanese are slightly more dominant then they have been in the past," said David Sargent, J.D. Power's vice president of automotive research. "But there are some very good domestic brands out there -- it's not a monopoly."
Even as foreign brands overall beat domestic products, Detroit's efforts to improve vehicle quality continued to pay off. An array of domestic brands, including the Saab and Ford brands, showed marked improvement.
Mr. Sargent said vehicle durability is a top factor when buyers consider a vehicle. It is even more important than fuel economy or design, he said.
The efforts to improve quality are taking on even greater significance as U.S. auto sales have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years amid weak consumer confidence and high fuel prices. Toyota, typically a juggernaut when it comes to profitability, reported a 28% drop in quarterly net profit, blaming weakness in the U.S. as a key reason for the slide.
By SHARON TERLEP
Wall Street Journal August 8, 2008; Page B3
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division led an influential vehicle-durability study, blowing past General Motors Corp.'s Buick division after the two brands shared the top spot last year.
J.D. Power and Associates' annual Vehicle Dependability Study named Lexus the No. 1 brand among 37 sold in the U.S. The victory further solidifies the Japanese luxury brand's reputation for top-notch quality and aids Toyota's drive to attract repeat buyers.
Toyota
Lexus hopes the dependability of cars like its LS460 will help draw repeat buyers.
The high-volume Toyota brand finished fourth in the survey, while Toyota's Scion brand finished well below average.
General Motors, Honda Motor Co., BMW AG and Ford Motor Co. were other companies with brands in the Top 10. Buick finished sixth this year, while Ford's Mercury division finished at No. 2.
Unlike J.D. Power and Associates' better-known Initial Quality Survey, which polls buyers about their experience with vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership, the durability report is based on perceptions of the first three years of ownership of a vehicle. Typically, people begin considering buying a new car after three years, the firm said.
Some 52,000 people were polled for the survey during the first four months of this year.
Toyota easily bested its competitors in awards for individual vehicles in each segment, receiving 11 of 20 individual awards. U.S. auto makers had three segment leaders, while Honda, Hyundai and Mazda each had one.
"The Japanese are slightly more dominant then they have been in the past," said David Sargent, J.D. Power's vice president of automotive research. "But there are some very good domestic brands out there -- it's not a monopoly."
Even as foreign brands overall beat domestic products, Detroit's efforts to improve vehicle quality continued to pay off. An array of domestic brands, including the Saab and Ford brands, showed marked improvement.
Mr. Sargent said vehicle durability is a top factor when buyers consider a vehicle. It is even more important than fuel economy or design, he said.
The efforts to improve quality are taking on even greater significance as U.S. auto sales have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years amid weak consumer confidence and high fuel prices. Toyota, typically a juggernaut when it comes to profitability, reported a 28% drop in quarterly net profit, blaming weakness in the U.S. as a key reason for the slide.
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