Ford Lauded In 2011 Total Quality Index

For Darrell Edwards, chairman and founder of Strategic Vision—one of the auto industry’s top resources for quality research—determining the quality of a vehicle involves a comprehensive analysis of everything that goes into satisfying customers: “Decades ago, we decided to measure ‘Quality’ from the ‘Total’ perspective of the driver/owner, because this is how people actually judge ‘Quality’ in terms of the decision to purchase or not. The number of complaints is considered, but there is absolutely justification—even requirement—for also considering the total positive experience created for the owner/driver.”

Which helps explain why Edwards recently called the Ford Motor Company “a quality leader” in Strategic Vision’s 2011 Total Quality Index, which rated the company the No. 2 full-line automaker in the industry.

Helping Ford achieve this strong performance were five vehicles that were top-rated in quality in their segments:

• Ford Mustang Coupe—Specialty Coupe
• Ford Mustang Convertible—Convertible
• Ford Flex—Mid-Size Crossover Utility
• Ford F-150—Full-Size Pickup
• Ford F-250/F-350—Heavy-Duty Pickup

Also scoring highly in their individual categories were the Ford Fiesta Sedan and Focus (Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, among Small Cars), Ford Fiesta Hatchback (No. 4 in the Small Multi-Function segment), Ford Taurus (No. 2 in the Large Car group), Ford Fusion (the No. 5 Mid-Size Car) and Ford Expedition (the third-highest scorer in the Large Utility category).

The bottom line according to this new research: While Ford owners did report 4 percent more “problems” than the industry average, “the strength of [the company’s] design, other important quality cues and innovation, along with brand strength, kept sales and Total Quality scores high.”

Source: Ford in the News