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

BMW is the last car to squeak in above the industry average for dependability remaining in 5th place, impressive considering

Even with all the electric gizmos in its cars, BMW still squeaked ahead of the industry average. (Photo: BMW Canada)

the many electronic gizmos that often can complicate a car and cause more opportunities for things to go wrong. BMW's rating of 264 PP100 is slightly worse for wear compared to last year's 262 PP100 rating, however, showing there's room for improvement.

Subaru of America, Inc. is right in the middle of the pack, sitting in 8th place with 288 PP100 after dropping from 7th with 266 PP100 in the 2003 VDS. While the automaker's placement could be much worse, only Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., American Suzuki Motor Corporation, and Isuzu Motors America, Inc. (American Isuzu Motors, Inc. last year) are worse off among Japanese automakers (Mazda is bundled into Ford Motor's rating).

Of the previously mentioned duo, Mitsubishi remains 10th while upping its problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) from 339 to 327, not bad at all. Suzuki trails Mitsubishi in 11th position and a PP100 score of 365. The good news for the small car and SUV-maker is it has made massive headway in its PP100 score and placement among the 16 automakers. In the 2003

Coming in at 12th place, Volkswagen is the worst faring European corporation. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

VDS Suzuki didn't even break the 400 barrier with an average of 403 PP100, an improvement of 38 points. It was also 3rd to last place in the 2003 VDS, in 14th place. It's easy to see Suzuki is North America's most improved automaker, at least in this specific survey.

Volkswagen of America, Inc., in 12th place, is the worst faring European corporation (Volvo is part of Ford Motor by the way, while Saab is under the GM umbrella), with 366 PP100 in the 2004 VDS. Not all is doom and gloom mind you, as the automaker actually managed to move one position up through the ranks from its 13th placement last year, and improved its PP100 rating by 12 increments from its previous score of 378. Obviously, the storied German manufacturer must do more to appear like less of a risk to consumer savvy car shoppers - its sales are down considerably this year.