Hyundai Motor ranks 1st in non-luxury vehicle quality

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's leading automaker,
said Tuesday that it has regained its No.1 status among non-luxury brands in a
benchmark U.S. survey of new vehicle quality.

According to the automaker, Hyundai ranked fourth overall and highest among
non-luxury brands in the survey by J.D. Power and Associates.
The company was the top-ranked mass-market auto brand in the same survey in 2006.
The announcement comes as Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. showed
relatively strong performances in the U.S. amid the global economic downturn.
In the first three months of this year, Hyundai's market share in the U.S. rose
1.6 percentage points from a year earlier to 4.3 percent.
Armed with a generous incentive program that allows U.S. customers experiencing
financial difficulties to return their vehicles free of charge, Hyundai aims to
boost its U.S. market share to 5 percent this year.
J.D. Power conducted the initial-quality survey from February through May among
almost 81,000 buyers of new vehicles. It tracks problems reported in the first 90
days of ownership.
The results of the survey are used in auto industry marketing, and are viewed as
a barometer for resale values and a proxy for warranty costs.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)