J.D. Power: 'Chinese Carmakers Are Catching Up with International Brands In Quality, Very Fast&#

The quality gap between Chinese brands and international brands in China continues to narrow, with Chinese brands doing slightly better than their global rivals in three of eight quality categories surveyed, according to consulting firm J.D. Power. J.D. Power said its Initial Quality Survey this year showed the gap between Chinese and global brands on average fell to 13 problems per 100 vehicles among surveyed customers, down from 14 last year.

The number of complaints in the survey of new car buyers was down dramatically from 2000, when the California-based consulting firm began its quality survey in China. That year, buyers of Chinese-branded vehicles identified 396 more problems per 100 vehicles than their global rivals. “(Chinese) domestics are catching up with international brands,” said Jacob George, chief of J.D. Power’s Asian operations. “They’re catching up very fast. Quality differences are getting smaller and smaller.” The three categories in which Chinese brands came slightly ahead on quality included vehicle interior; controls and displays; and infotainment. But the top performers were all international brands except in the small SUV category, in which only a few global-brand models compete. Top quality performers included Hyundai, Kia, Porsche, Lexus, Mazda and Audi.