Another plant General Motors in Port Elizabeth takes third place.



The East London Mercedes-Benz assembly plant that produces the C-Class has been ranked highest among South African plants in initial quality for a third consecutive year.

Vehicle assembly plants are ranked based solely on the number of defects and malfunctions in vehicles produced at the plant.

Following the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in the plant rankings are the Toyota Prospecton and General Motors Struandale plants.

Models from Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen and Volvo each rank highest in initial quality in South Africa in their respective segments.

Improved quality

Models that received initial quality awards are as follows:

• Lower small car segment: Honda Jazz (for a sixth consecutive time i i10.
• Upper small car segment: Volkswagen Jetta.
• Medium car segment: Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
• Compact SUV segment: Nissan X-Trail.
• Medium SUV segment: Volvo XC60.
• Compact pickup segment: Chevrolet Corsa Utility.

"The improvement in new-vehicle quality is due to a combination of widespread improvements in existing models and the phasing out of old designs that had lower levels of initial quality," said Brian Walters, vice-president of JD Power and Associates' Europe and Africa research operations.

The study is a customer-driven rating of problems experienced during the first three to seven months of ownership. It looks for 228 specific problems across nine categories - vehicle exterior; driving experience; features, controls, displays; audio, entertainment, navigation; seats; heating/ventilation/ airconditioning (HVAC); vehicle interior; engine/ transmission; other problems.

Highly recommended

All problems are identified as the number reported per 100 vehicles (PP100), with lower scores indicating fewer problems and better quality.

The study finds that the number of quality problems experienced has a direct impact on customer recommendation rates.

Of those customers who experience one or no problems, 82% say they would "definitely" recommend their vehicle to a friend, relative or colleague.

Of those customers who report two or more problems, the recommendation rate declines to 57%.