USA - Five Chevrolet vehicles led their segments in the J.D. Power 2016 Initial Quality Study.

Five Chevrolet vehicles led their segments in the J.D. Power 2016 Initial Quality Study. No other brand has more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards than Chevrolet — for the fourth consecutive year.

This follows the brand’s strong showing in the 2016 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, where Chevrolet also had more models ranked highest in its segments than any other brand.

“These results play two critical roles in our strategy to bring new retail buyers to the brand,” said Alan Batey, Global Chevrolet president. 

“First, the study results will help attract new buyers to Chevrolet, as J.D. Power data shows ‘expected reliability’ is customers’ top purchase consideration for a new vehicle. 

Second, the improved ownership experience of our new vehicles will help convert first-time Chevrolet buyers into repeat customers, as J.D. Power indicates customers who have a positive experience in the first 90 days of ownership are more likely to become repeat buyers for the brand.”

Chevrolet’s focus on the customer has fueled a 3 percent gain in retail sales for the first five months of 2016. In the same period, Chevrolet’s share of the retail sales grew 0.6 percentage points, making Chevrolet the fastest growing full-line brand in the industry.

Chevrolet segment awards in the 2016 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study include:

• Silverado swept the full-size truck categories, with the Silverado 1500 receiving the top marks for light-duty trucks and the Silverado HD receiving the top marks for heavy-duty trucks.
• Equinox led the compact SUV segment (in a tie), with study results that were 15 points better than the segment average.
• Tahoe lead the large SUV segment, with study results that were 19 points above the segment average.
• Finally, the Spark dominated the city car segment, with study results that were 48 points higher than the segment average.

The study, now in its 30^th year, examines problems experienced by vehicle owners during the first 90 days of ownership. Initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.

The 2016 U.S. Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2016 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. 

The study is based on a 233-question battery organized into eight problem categories designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement. The study was fielded from February through May 2016.