J.D.Power: Kia, Hyundai rise, Japanese fall in quality study

Baku. 22 June. REPORT.AZ/ The twin South Korean brands, Kia and Hyundai, have moved to the top of the pack in the 2015 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study released Wednesday, the most closely watched gauge of quality in auto manufacturing.

Report informs citing foreign media, the Kia brand ranked second behind the top brand, Porsche, which took first for the third year in a row. And the Hyundai brand moved up to fourth place, right behind third-place Jaguar. Both Kia and Hyundai are owned by the same company, Hyundai.

"We believe the J.D. Power report leaves no doubt that Kia builds world-class vehicles, and the results are especially gratifying as the IQS study truly reflects the voice of our customers," says Michael Sprague, executive vice president of Kia Motors America.

The latest rankings represent a turnabout from the many years in which Japanese brands have dominated the listing. Overall, Power says Japanese brands are now collectively below industry average for the first time in 29 years. The highest-rated Japanese brand is now Nissan's Infiniti in fifth place, up from below average last year.

"For so long, Japanese brands have been viewed by many as the gold standard in vehicle quality," says Renee Stephens, a Power vice president, in a statement. "While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we're seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement."