A recent study has indicated that Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles have statistically tied Toyota and Honda in terms of quality for the 2008 model year. The study, carried out by the U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS), says that the American automaker's machines have continued with impressive quality gains for the fourth straight year, led by the F-Series super duty and the Lincoln Mark LT. The survey solicits input from owners of new vehicles after three months of service.
It measures quality as a function of a 'Things Gone Wrong' or (TGW) rating. According to the GQRS, the Ford Focus matched the Toyota Corolla, while the Mustang GT500 has the least number of TGW reports among sports cars. In all, 18 out of 24 vehicles posted improvements.
"This is One Ford at its best. It's taken thousands of people continuously working together with laser-like focus every day to boost vehicle quality for our customers to the top of the pack," said Bennie Fowler, Ford group VP of Global Quality. "But this is a never-ending journey. The goal now is to distance ourselves from our top competitors. We want to be the sole quality leader."
For 2008 Ford also ranked best in class for TGW performance in Vehicle Engineering and Electrical among major manufacturers. This year's rating of 1,287 TGW per 1000 vehicles is a reduction of 108 from last year. Customer satisfaction also climbed one point to 77 percent.
"We are consistently delivering improved quality by following standardized, disciplined processes throughout Ford," said Fowler. "This is particularly impressive considering the difficult challenges we've had to overcome."
photo:Ford
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| Ford's new-model quality center |
It measures quality as a function of a 'Things Gone Wrong' or (TGW) rating. According to the GQRS, the Ford Focus matched the Toyota Corolla, while the Mustang GT500 has the least number of TGW reports among sports cars. In all, 18 out of 24 vehicles posted improvements.
"This is One Ford at its best. It's taken thousands of people continuously working together with laser-like focus every day to boost vehicle quality for our customers to the top of the pack," said Bennie Fowler, Ford group VP of Global Quality. "But this is a never-ending journey. The goal now is to distance ourselves from our top competitors. We want to be the sole quality leader."
For 2008 Ford also ranked best in class for TGW performance in Vehicle Engineering and Electrical among major manufacturers. This year's rating of 1,287 TGW per 1000 vehicles is a reduction of 108 from last year. Customer satisfaction also climbed one point to 77 percent.
"We are consistently delivering improved quality by following standardized, disciplined processes throughout Ford," said Fowler. "This is particularly impressive considering the difficult challenges we've had to overcome."
photo:Ford