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TORONTO — Four Canadian-made vehicle models — up from three last year — are the best-made products in their segments, according to the J.D. Power and Associates annual initial quality survey released Wednesday.
The segment-topping vehicles include the Chevrolet Silverado LD assembled at the General Motors Corp. plant in Oshawa, Ont., which GM announced Tuesday it will close next year.
It was ranked highest in the large pickup segment of the closely watched study of problems encountered during the first 90 days of ownership, seen as an indicator of long-term quality.
Other top-ranked Canadian-assembled models were the Pontiac Grand Prix large sedan from GM's Oshawa car plant; the Honda Civic from Alliston, Ont., ranked highest in the compact car group for the second year in a row; and the Lexus RX premium multi-activity vehicle from Toyota Canada Inc.'s factory in Cambridge, Ont.
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Additionally, the Mercury Grand Marquis from Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd.'s plant in St. Thomas, Ont., ranked third in the large car segment.
J.D. Power said Wednesday that five Canadian plants ranked among the top 15 in initial quality among the North and South American plants included in the study.
High initial quality “is a critical component in the battle to keep auto production jobs in Canada and in attracting new investment here,” said Richard Cooper, vice-president of Canadian operations for Westlake Village, Calif.-headquartered J.D. Power and Associates.
“It appears that Canadian plants are keeping pace with consumers' increasingly high standards for quality.”
