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What do J.D. Power's quality ratings really measure?

Check these recently released J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) results. Do they raise any questions in your mind? Premium sports-car maker Porsche sits in first place for the third straight year, so are Porsches really the best-built cars in the U.S. market? Korean brands Kia and Hyundai are second and fourth, so are Korean vehicles suddenly better than their US, European, and Japanese competitors? Are workaday Chevrolets (seventh place) better than premium Buicks (11th), and Buicks better than luxury Cadillacs (21st), even though all are assembled in General Motors plants with the same processes and many shared parts? Are Japanese Acuras (26th) worse than German Volkswagens (24th)? And is "quality" really what it used to be (and what most perceive it to be), a measure of build excellence? Or has it evolved into much more a measure of likeability and ease of use? To properly analyze these widely watched results, we must first understand what IQS actually studies, and what the numerical scores really mean. First, as its name indicates, it's all about "initial" quality, measured by problems reported by new-vehicle owners in their first 90 days of ownership. If something breaks or falls off four months in, it doesn't count here. Second, the scores are problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100. So Power's 2015 IQS industry average of 112 PP100 translates to just 1.12 reported problems per vehicle. Third, no attempt is made to differentiate BIG problems from minor ones. Thus a transmission or engine failure counts the same as a squeaky glove box door, tricky phone pairing, inconsistent voice recognition, or anything else that annoys the owner. Traditionally, a high-quality vehicle is one that is well-bolted together. It doesn't leak, squeak, rattle, shed parts, show gaps between panels, or break down and leave you stranded. By this standard, there are very few poor-quality new vehicles in today's U.S. market. But what "quality" should not mean, is subjective likeability: ease of operation of the radio, climate controls, or seat adjusters, phone pairing, music downloading, sizes of touch pads on an infotainment screen, quickness of system response, or accuracy of voice-recognition. These are ergonomic "human factors" issues, not "quality" problems. Yet these kinds of pleasability issues are now dominating today's JDP "quality" ratings.

Hyundai hydrogen fuel-cell SUV spied nearly naked

Back in August, Hyundai showed what seemed to be an extremely thinly veiled concept version of a hydrogen-powered crossover SUV at a special event in Seoul. Besides its showy gold paint and two-toned interior, it definitely looked like something that could roll down the production line with minimal effort. Well, judging by these spy photos, that looks like it'll be the case. Hyundai didn't even really bother to camouflage these test mules. The intricate taillight clusters carry over from the concept, as do the distinctive grille and Tesla-like extending door handles. Heck, even the wheels look to be exactly the same. And if we were to make a guess based on its proportions and size, this shares a lot with the Kia Nero. Featuring Hyundai's fourth-generation hydrogen fuel-cell technology, the FCEV (or whatever the compact crossover will eventually be called) features a 20 percent power increase over its Tucson hydrogen FCEV predecessor and is more capable in cold weather. The new FCEV will also have greater hydrogen capacity, featuring three tanks instead of two. (If you want to learn a little more about how hydrogen fuel cell vehicles work, our Honda Clarity first drive is a decent place to start.) The spy photographers didn't get a glimpse inside, but the "concept" back in August showcased a pretty production-looking cabin. If the exterior's any indication, it should look exactly like that. We've included pictures of that "concept" at the end of the gallery above so you can easily compare the "transformation." Expect the final product to be unveiled at CES in January. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai FCEV Hydrogen SUV Spy Shots View 19 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Green Spy Photos CES Hyundai Crossover SUV Concept Cars Future Vehicles Hydrogen Cars fcev

Hyundai sales tank due to weak sales in China, Russia

Hyundai Motor's global volume dipped 13 percent in January to 338,035 deliveries. The drop is the automaker's first worldwide decline since July 2015, according to Bloomberg. The current slump of the once-booming Chinese market is especially hurting Hyundai's global volume, and a downturn in Russia also isn't helping the company's situation. Sales are down 1.1 percent in South Korea and 14 percent outside of the automaker's home market, according to Bloomberg. Hyundai expects the difficult situation to last much of the year. While Hyundai had a hard month internationally, the automaker's US division just reported its best January volume ever. The company delivered 45,011 vehicles, which was up one percent over 2015. The strong performance came in part from a 72-percent jump in Tucson volume and a 55-percent improvement for the Veloster. The company forecasts a strong year here in the States thanks to the introduction of the 2017 Elantra and an upcoming refresh for the Santa Fe. Hyundai already has a plan to build strength in the US and rebound elsewhere. For example, the company wants to capitalize on American's hunger for utility vehicles by adding capacity to build more of the Santa Fe Sport. It also intends to launch a B-segment CUV to challenge models like the Jeep Renegade, and the Genesis luxury sub-brand would eventually get an SUV, too. A cost-cutting strategy should help offset the downturn outside of this market. Related Video: