CAPTION: From left: Ron Koch, senior vice president, global automotive, J.D. Power, Robert Mansfield, senior director, global automotive, J.D. Power, Ted Mengiste, executive director, sales operations, Genesis Motor America, Barry Ratzlaff, chief customer officer, Hyundai Motor North America, Omar Rivera, executive director, quality and service engineering, Hyundai Motor America. Courtesy: Genesis
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Move over Mercedes.
Take a back seat, Cadillac.
Sorry, BMW.
Japanese carmaker Genesis has been named the top premium brand in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Initial Quality Study and improved by three rank positions overall from the prior year.
The study found that all Genesis models scored better than their segment average, marking an important achievement for the brand, according to a news release.
“At Genesis, our products are designed and engineered with careful consideration for the needs of our customers,” Omar Rivera, executive director of quality and service engineering at Genesis Motor America, said.
“We pursue excellence in everything we do, and we are pleased that consumers surveyed in the United States continue to respond positively to the exceptional quality and craftsmanship of our latest models.”
G80, the brand’s executive sedan, was named Best Upper Midsize Premium Car for the second consecutive year.
“G80 is at the core of the Genesis sedan lineup and offers a perfect balance of comfort and refined performance,” the news release stated.
“For the 2022 model year, the brand introduced the G80 Sport, adding bold new styling, available new suspension tuning, available rear wheel steering and more to the executive sedan. Later this year, the brand will launch its Electrified G80, the first Genesis EV sedan and second all-electric model, as the brand pursues a 100% electric lineup by 2030.”
The annual study ranks auto manufacturers and their products by problems per one hundred vehicles (PP100). The brand and car with the lowest level of problems wins the respective category.
Genesis was ranked first in initial quality among premium brands from 2017 – 2020, and continued its strong performance in 2021, ranking second.