Hyundai Motor’s Genesis G70 sedan. (image: Hyundai Motor)
SEOUL, Jun. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean carmakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. have garnered the three highest marks in J.D. Power’s annual automotive quality survey, they said Thursday.
The companies said they expected the achievements to help boost sales in the United States as J.D. Power’s closely followed Initial Quality Study is widely accepted as a barometer of automotive quality.
In the 2019 IQS report released Wednesday (U.S. time), Hyundai Motor, its independent brand Genesis and Kia Motors, long regarded as quality laggards, earned the top three spots in overall rankings.
Hyundai Motor Group, which has the three brands under its wing, boasted six individual segment winners — the Genesis G70 sedan, Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, Kia Sedona (or Carnival) minivan, Kia Sportage SUV, Kia Forte compact and Kia Rio subcompact, the statement said.
Ford Motor Co., its Lincoln brand and General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet brand ranked fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Japanese brands Nissan Motor, Lexus and Toyota Motor Corp. ranked seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively.
This year, not a single luxury German carmaker such as Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz earned marks above the industrial average this year, the rankings showed.
Hyundai and Kia have reported improving sales in the U.S. market this year. Their sales rose 3.4 percent to 525,289 autos in the January-May period from 507,988 a year earlier.
(Yonhap)
