Hyundai, Kia rank 5th in quality
Hyundai Motor's Genesis
By Kim Tae-jong
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors took fifth place in a recent quality survey by J.D. Power, which was revealed Wednesday. This is the highest ranking for the two automakers ever in the survey by the U.S. marketing firm.
The nation’s two leading automakers were both ranked fifth in the Initial Quality Study with 106 points among 21 carmakers.
The survey rated brands and vehicles by counting the number of complaints on 233 criteria raised per 100 vehicles sold between November last year and February this year. Lower scores indicate higher quality and satisfaction.
“Hyundai and Kia vehicles have drastically improved their product quality, which we think ranked us high in the survey,” an official from Hyundai Motor Group said.
Hyundai’s Genesis, and Kia’s Soul and Sportage R won the Segment Winner, receiving the lowest marks in the segments of midsize premium car, small multi-purpose vehicle and small sport utility vehicle (SUV), respectively.
Four other vehicles of Hyundai also ranked in the top three of other segments. The Agera, whose local name is the Grandeur, came in second in the large car segment, and the Accent and the Sonata also ranked as second place in the sub-compact and midsize car segments, respectively. The new Santa Fe SUV came in third in the midsize crossover utility vehicle segment.
The result is the biggest achievement for the two automakers, showing the improvement of product quality in the U.S. market.
Including luxury brands, the two automakers were ranked 10th together among 33 automakers, even ahead of Audi and BMW, which ranked as the 13th and 18th.
Hyundai’s Genesis got 86 points, down six from the previous study, keeping its distance from other luxury sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Lexus GS. It has been four years since the model first topped the segment in the 2009 survey.