2016 Kia Soul & Sportage Top Segments In 2016 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study™

Aug 5, 2016

J.D. Power has released the results of their 2016 Initial Quality Study™ (IQS) and for the first time in 27 years the highest ranking brand was a non-luxury brand. The highest-ranking brand was none other than Kia Motors, earning this spot by achieving the highest initial quality score for the entire automotive industry. Additionally, the 2016 Kia Soul and 2016 Kia Sportage were named the highest ranking vehicles in their individual segments. The results of the IQS are determined by measuring the overall satisfaction reported by new-vehicle owners following the first 90 days of ownership. The owners report any issues with their models and J.D Power calculates a score for each model based on the number of problems reported for every 100 vehicles (PP100). Modeled with a lower PP100 are given a higher rating.

“Manufacturers are currently making some of the highest quality products we’ve ever seen,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power. “Tracking our data over the past several years, it has become clear that automakers are listening to the customer, identifying pain points and are focused on continuous improvement. Even as they add more content, including advanced technologies that have had a reputation for causing problems, overall quality continues to improve.”

For the second straight year, the 2016 Kia Soul topped the Compact MPV segment with a score of 72 PP100. Additionally, this model was also the highest-ranking vehicle for the entire Kia lineup and is now ranked among the 10 highest-scoring vehicles for the whole automotive industry.

For the third time in four years the Kia Sportage received the highest ranking in the small SUV segment with a score of 85 PP100. This model had the least amount of design issues reported for its segment and saw significant improvement in problems reported for Audio/Communication/Entertainment/Navigation.

“Kia.” J.D. Power. N.p., 22 June 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2016. <http://www.jdpower.com/microsites/kia/home>.