Local plant tops J.D. Powers list’

General Motors’ Allen County truck assembly plant ranked No. 1 for quality among all GM North American plants in J.D. Power’s 2016 Initial Quality Survey, which tracks how many problems owners and lessees have in the first 90 days.

The local plant placed No. 4 among all automakers in North America. 

Cherry Weiland, the local plant’s quality manager, said the facility improved its quality score by 39 percent over last year. She credited a standardized process that allows workers to identify and fix problems sooner.

It’s the first time during Weiland’s six years at the plant that the facility has bested its sibling assembly plants.

Seven GM models ranked highest in their categories. The Chevrolet Silverado HD and Silverado 1500 were among them. Both are made in Allen County; Flint, Michigan; and Silao, Mexico.

Overall, new U.S.-vehicle quality improved by 6 percent compared with 2015 models, double the rate of improvement the previous year, J.D. Power said. 

Renee Stephens, J.D. Power’s vice president of U.S. automotive quality, said manufacturers are now making some of the highest-quality products the research organization has ever seen.

Kia-made vehicles had the fewest overall problems. Previously, a premium brand held the top spot for 27 years.

More than 80,000 people were surveyed between February and May. J.D. Power has found a correlation between how few problems are experienced with how many consumers choose the same brand for their next vehicle purchase.