Industry Report Part 2: Toyota Leads J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study Corporate Rankings

Kia and Suzuki are Most Improved Players while Nissan and Hyundai Slide Backward

Need some help figuring out which car to buy? To repeat some important information mentioned in yesterday's report,

For their results, J.D. Powers and Associates surveyed more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model year cars and light trucks. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

J.D. Powers and Associates tries to make buying a car easier each year, by publishing its Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) which rates automakers by corporation, nameplate and the top three vehicles in each segment of the market.

The results of the 2004 VDS were obtained by surveying more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model year cars and light trucks. Being a survey, it can't be construed as an exact science, but nevertheless the Westlake Village, California based company is a force in the market, sending automakers

Once again the nameplate rankings showed Lexus in 1st place out of 37 brands, and Land Rover in last. (Photo: Lexus Canada)

scrambling to engineer their cars to achieve better results. In the end, vehicles are becoming more reliable with each passing year.

Yesterday's J.D. Powers and Associates coverage was on nameplate rankings, which once again showed Lexus in 1st place out of 37 brands, Land Rover in last, and strong performance from Buick, Infiniti, Lincoln, Cadillac and Honda, the latter being the top performing entry brand. All three domestic automakers showed marked improvement with their various nameplates too, the strongest being General Motors Corporation, followed by Ford Motor Company and then DaimlerChrylser.