Buick ties Lexus

The Wall Street Journal story[*1] (subscription required, fair use excerpt below):

J.D. Power and Associates on Thursday released its annual Vehicle Dependability Study, which tracks quality over the first three years of ownership of a vehicle.

Lexus has been the perennial king of the survey. But domestic auto makers have scrambled to catch up in recent years, and their efforts continue to pay off as Detroit brands crowd the podium, leaving less of a gap between the U.S. and Japan than traditionally has been the case.

Three of the top five brands in the study were domestic players, with GM’s Cadillac and Ford Motor[*2] Co.’s Mercury finishing behind Buick and Lexus. GM’s Hummer brand was the most improved, but it still is a below-average performer.