Honda tied with Ford
Since it started in the auto motive industry, Ford has been marked for creating vehicles which are at the top rank in terms of quality. In the latest study it was said that Ford performs at Industry-leading levels when it comes to initial quality. And according to the U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) Ford’s initial quality has caught that of Toyota and Honda, resulting in a statistical tie for first place beside the Japanese automakers. This was study completed by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
The study shows Ford’s initial quality has advanced by some 8 percent over last year, and says that each new car and truck launched with improved quality versus it predecessor. Quality is measured by an interesting calculation called the “Things Gone Wrong” rating, which generates a ‘TGW’ number per 1,000 vehicles during the first three months of ownership.
Fords vehicles averaged 1,284 items, statistically equivalent to the 1,250 TGW rating level of Toyota and Honda. “Last year we tied with Toyota, and this year our quality performance is as good as industry-leading Honda’s too,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas.
“Our world-class quality is one of the most important aspects of our turnaround in North America. This consistently strong quality improvement should offer today’s customer renewed confidence, setting the stage for important new products like Ford Flex, which is launching this summer.”
Ford earned honors from the study in the areas of interior trim, seats and appearance, as well as paint, vehicle engineering and electrical / entertainment systems. Ford’s dramatically improved vehicle quality will be highlighted in a sweeping new marketing campaign called “Drive One” that officially debuted last month.
The campaign tells the story behind Ford’s rise to the top of the industry in initial vehicle quality as well as underscoring safety, smart technology and improved fuel efficiency. The automaker also earned best-in-class honors in two important engineering functions: interiors, (including trim, seats and instrument panel appearance), and electrical, (including entertainment systems).
Ford tied for best-in-class in two other functions: paint and vehicle engineering, the latter including such areas as ride and handling and cabin quietness. “There is an unprecedented level of teamwork at Ford. Everyone from the top floor to the plant floor is working together to deliver the highest quality vehicles for our customers,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford’s group vice president of Global Quality.
“We are extremely proud to be among the industry’s quality leaders. But that’s not why we’re in the game. We want sole possession of first place, and we will keep working to earn it.”
A total for 15 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury vehicles are ranked in the top three of their respective segments for either TGW performance, customer satisfaction or both. Visit www.ford.ca for more information.
Although Honda has been recalling a lot of it previous products, it still proved that it is able to make quality products. Yes, the machines used in mass production of Honda vehicles could fail at times, but at least the flaws found in Honda autos were not that grave. And so far no injuries or fatalities due to those flaws were reported yet.
It is about time that Honda and Toyota start making its mark in terms of quality. I mean, yes they create wonderful vehicles, but sometimes wonderful is not what consumers are looking for. People are often looking for vehicles that can serve them for a long period of time. They want autos that provides good, smooth, and quality performance whether on or off road. And that type of vehicle has been offered by Ford for years. And now, those vehicles also carry the big “H” logo with them. Honda is now able to compete with Ford’s standard in terms of quality. it is now offering good looking vehicles at top level quality.
