SEOUL, KOREA - Hyundai Motor announced on June 19 that it overtook Toyota, Chevrolet, and Honda, retaking the No. 1 spot in the general brand category in the U.S. market research firm JD Power’s 2014 Initial Quality Study (IQS). JD Power has annually released the ranks of premium and general brands.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors jointly ranked No. 5 in 2013. Kia Motors also moved up by two spots to No. 3 this year. This is the third time for Hyundai Motor to rank No. 1 among the 20 general brands. Hyundai Motor grabbed the top spot in 2006 and 2009.
Even in the overall ranking, including premium brands, Hyundai Motor jumped by six notches to No. 4, higher than BMW (No. 8) and Mercedes-Benz (No. 13).
Hyundai Motor, which ranked No. 1 in 2009 among general brands, fell to No. 9 in 2012. To overcome the crisis, Hyundai Motor developed the so-called Q-Cluster system where Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, together with subcontractors, carried out field-based inspection of product quality.
The system also contributed to promoting communication and cooperation between Hyundai Motor-Kia Motors and their subcontractors.
