Three BMW models—the BMW 2 Series, the BMW 4 Series, and the BMW 5 Series—were the top vehicles in their categories in the 2015 JD Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS). Overall, BMW ranked sixth among all the brands sold in the U.S. with a score well above the industry average.
“IQS is the leading indicator of customer delight in the initial phase of ownership as it measures not only how well our vehicles perform but also how well our dealers are doing in demonstrating the functions of the new vehicle,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “The model rankings show improvements across the board from existing to new models with the clear challenge being to improve and simplify technology.”
The BMW 2 Series was the highest ranked Small Premium Car in the 2015 JD Power U.S. Initial Quality Study; the BMW 4 Series was the highest ranked Compact Premium Car; and the BMW 5 Series was the highest ranked Midsize Premium Car. Also noteworthy and representative of excellence throughout the BMW range, but somewhat of a swan song for an outgoing model, the BMW 7 Series was ranked second in the Large Premium Car segment.
The BMW brand ranked sixth overall in initial quality among all manufacturers, with 99 P100, a nine-point improvement over 2014. PP100 is the standard JD Power measurement of problems per 100 vehicles. So, BMW as a brand had 99 problems per 100 vehicles. The 2015 industry average is 112 PP100. Porsche took the top spot with 60 P100.
More than 84,000 people who bought or leased new 2015 model-year vehicles responded to the 2015 JD Power Initial Quality Study after driving their vehicles for 90 days. The study took place between February and May of this year.
JD Power also handed out the Platinum Plant Quality Award to BMW AG’s Rosslyn, South Africa plant for being the highest-performing plant in the world for initial quality. Rosslyn makes BMW 3 Series sedans for export all over the world, including to the United States, and had only 15 problems per 100 vehicles. Plant quality awards are based on defects and malfunctions alone, and don’t count design-related problems.
More information on the JD. Power 2015 U.S. Initial Quality Study is at: http://www.jdpower.com/quality.
To sum up, in the 2015 JD Power Initial Quality Study, there were seven premium car categories up for grabs. BMWs took three of them and finished second in a fourth category. In the other four premium car categories, Porsche took three and Lexus took one. According to JD Powers, the Germans must be selling some pretty decent premium cars.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
