Friday, July 18, 2008
UAW-made vehicles lead in J.D. Power quality rankings
No one needs to tell UAW members at General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC that the state of the industry and the national economy present difficult challenges.
But even in these exceptionally hard business conditions, UAW members rise to the occasion. Recent developments at each automaker illustrate how our members fight through the bad news and work hard to produce exceptional vehicles for the public.
In the J.D. Power and Associates' recently released Initial Quality Survey (IQS), Ford improved at a rate faster than the industry average, beating its 2007 score by eight points. It placed two UAW-built vehicles, the Lincoln Navigator and Ford E-Series van, as highest ranked and followed it with the Ford Ranger and Mercury Sable taking second-place awards.
And in J.D. Power's Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study, Ford improved by 12 points, driven by the Ford Focus, which improved by a whopping 88 points, the single most improved vehicle in that study. The Mercury brand notched a 12-point improvement.
"The study confirms what we've always known: UAW members have been building top-quality cars and trucks for years," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. "We can be proud that our members are the most productive and skilled workers in the manufacturing world."
Chrysler was up 19 points in the APEAL survey, with the Town and Country minivan leading the way. The Dodge Caravan helped that division improve by 10 points. GM, not to be outdone, saw its Cadillac division improve by nine points, while the Acadia crossover helped GM post a 10-point gain.
J.D. Power wasn't the only recent study praising the work by UAW members: The 2008 Harbour Report said Chrysler tied Toyota as the most efficient automaker in North America, while GM and Ford have eliminated the productivity gap with the foreign-based automakers. Chrysler improved its productivity by 7.7 percent. Productivity is measured by how many hours it takes an automaker to make a vehicle. In 2001 Chrysler was 12.65 hours behind Toyota.
Plants in Toledo, Ohio, and Belvidere, Ill., led the way for Chrysler. Ford and GM also posted productivity gains in the report.
GM also had the 2008 North America Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Malibu, beating 15 other nominees at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year. And like its two domestic counterparts who are looking to a future beyond gasoline, GM is moving ahead. The automaker's much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, its first electrically powered car, is slated for production in 2010.