Ford Motor Company has earned its best-ever scores in the 2018 J D Power Initial Quality Study, thanks to overall quality improvements in the industry, especially in advanced audio, connectivity, entertainment and navigation technology.

Now in its 32nd year, the J D Power study, which measures vehicle quality by analysing the first 90 days of ownership, ranks Ford Motor Company No. 2 among all automakers.

Ford’s scores are helped by substantial improvements in technology quality. Almost every Ford and Lincoln vehicle equipped with SYNC 3 connectivity technology leads its quality segments with significantly better than average quality scores.

“Customers want a vehicle that keeps them connected whether they’re going places or just out enjoying a drive,” said Jim VanSlambrouck, Ford's director of Quality for The Americas. “Our improving quality scores show we are delivering smart vehicles for a smart world that are also easy to use.”

Ford also showed improvements in exterior, seating, the drive experience, feature control displays, the interior and air conditioning categories. As a result Ford Motor Company earned   more vehicle segment awards than any other automaker.

Overall, the company has nine vehicles in the top three of their respective segments – including top honours for Ford Expedition, Ford Mustang, Ford F-Series Super Duty, Lincoln Continental and Lincoln MKC.

The Ford brand improves for the fifth year in a row and at a rate faster than the industry, showing 81 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 86 in 2017. Lincoln improves to a third-place ranking among premium brands, with 83 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 92 in 2017.

“While we’re pleased with our results, we know quality is a race that never ends – and we’ll keep pushing to deliver even higher-quality vehicles for our customers,” said VanSlambrouck.

With continuous improvements by both brands, Ford Motor Company retains its second-place ranking among all automakers in this year’s study. – TradeArabia News Service