For Ford the Hits Just Keep On Coming

Ford Motor Company reports some good news from two continents with the results of an owner survey and a car of the year award.

Ford ahead of Honda in quality

Here at LotPro.com, we wanted you to be aware of some of the good news coming out of Detroit:

In a quarterly quality survey conducted for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Ford surpassed Honda in customer satisfaction in initial vehicle quality for the first time. The survey, called the 2009 Global Quality Research System (GQRS) measured 2009 model year vehicle initial quality in two areas: the number of “things gone wrong,” and customer satisfaction with the quality of their vehicles during the first three months of ownership.

“This is truly a significant accomplishment for us,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. “Honda and Toyota have claimed bragging rights for years, but now we are seeing our hard work pay off. It’s evident in study after study.”

During the first quarter of 2009, the number of things gone wrong for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles fell by 5 percent to 1,228 per 1,000 vehicles. This compares with 1,422 things gone wrong per 1,000 vehicles for Honda and 1,150 things gone wrong per 1,000 vehicles for Toyota.

The following Ford vehicles led their respective segments in the survey:

•    Ford Mustang – initial quality and customer satisfaction for sports cars
•    Ford Taurus – initial quality for large cars
•    Ford Taurus X – initial quality for crossover utilities
•    Mercury Milan – initial quality for midsize cars
•    Ford Ranger – initial quality for compact pickups

Ford Fiesta is What Diesel? Best Small Car and Car of the Year

Meanwhile, over in the U.K., the new Ford Fiesta (a car destined for our shores) beat out 26 other vehicles and 8 class winners to be crowned What Diesel magazine’s Car of the Year for 2009.

Ian Robertson, editor of What Diesel magazine said: “The Fiesta is simply the best small diesel car available on the market right now, and judging by the sales figures, the UK public agrees. It feels solid, well-built and is great to drive.”

Although Ford’s new B-segment car won’t go on sale in the U.S. until the spring of 2010, it has been on sale in the U.K. since September of 2008 and has racked up sales of over 36,000 already.

Tags: car of the year, fiesta, Ford, ford fiesta, ford motor company, ford mustang, ford ranger, ford taurus, ford taurus x, global quality research system, gqrs, Honda, lincoln, mercury, Mercury Milan, Toyota, uk, what diesel