GM's Least American Brand, Buick, Most Dependable, Caddy Last

[Gorehamj]

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
2-22-2017

J.D. Power and Associates has just released the results of its 28th-annual dependability survey and GM-Trucks.com noticed one interesting aspect of the report others are not reporting. General Motors' least-American-made brand, Buick, is its top brand for reliability. GM's flagship luxury Brand, Cadillac, is ranked last among GM's brands in dependability, and it is not even close.

 

Buick's top-selling model, the Encore, is built in Mexico, Spain, and Korea. It was originally designed as a model for other markets. Buick's second-leading seller, the Envision, is made in China and imported to America. The Cascada, Buick's convertible, is also an overseas import. Combined, these models account for half of Buick's total sales (in 2016). Contrast this with the American-made Toyota Camry, which is the highest-rated vehicle overall for reliability.

 

 

Looking at the bright side of the report, all of GM's brands were above the industry average for dependability. The Sonic, Camaro, Silverado HD, and Tahoe were all top-ranked in their segments. General Motors is currently running television advertisements touting its strong results on J.D. Power and Associates surveys based on prior years' results.

 

See the J.D. Power and Associates survey here.

[1997SierraSLT]

is J.D. Powers an equivalent to iseecars.com ?

[Gorehamj]

That is a fair question. I have respect for both groups, but J.D. Power has a lot more history and is not a publication as its primary focus. Unlike Consumer Reports, the folks at J.D. Power don't survey a captive audience, but rather more random owners. As an example, I would point out that GM takes J.D Powers so seriously it spends big money on adverts talking about how well its vehicles do on J.D Power surveys and studies. I would never expect to see GM do the same over an iseecars.com report.

[Colossus]

I'm liking the bottom of the list-

 

Ford

Dodge Trucks

Dodge

Infiniti

Jeep

Fiat

 

That's pretty characteristic of Chrysler Corp products since the 70s, but Fiat is a perfect fit for Chrysler Yet- The actual brand of Chrysler didn't do too bad..

[1997SierraSLT]

That is a fair question. I have respect for both groups, but J.D. Power has a lot more history and is not a publication as its primary focus. Unlike Consumer Reports, the folks at J.D. Power don't survey a captive audience, but rather more random owners. As an example, I would point out that GM takes J.D Powers so seriously it spends big money on adverts talking about how well its vehicles do on J.D Power surveys and studies. I would never expect to see GM do the same over an iseecars.com report.

 

It's all so subjective. As a consumer you have to simply weed through the plethora of information available. More importantly, you have to dig deep and decipher who's funding who and try to determine how these "reporting agencies" generate their revenue.

 

For instance, I read through a Consumer Reports magazine the other day and they absolutely shredded certain GM vehicles such as the Tahoe, Escalade, Silverado, Sierra, and a few others on quality, reliability, and resale value.

 

It sure sounds like J.D. Powers and GM have quite a "I'll pad your wallet if you pad my wallet" relationship...