07-12-16
2016 Nissan Frontier named TOP mid-size truck by J.D. Power
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 2016 Nissan Frontier has been recognized as the top mid-size truck in the J.D. Power 2016 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the industry benchmark for new vehicle quality. Additionally, the Nissan brand jumped 10 spots in the study, bringing it to 10th position, sixth among non-premium brands and above the overall industry average.
IQS, now in its 30th year, examines problems experienced by vehicle owners during the first 90 days of ownership. Initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.
“Earning the top spot among vehicles in the extremely competitive mid-size truck segment is an immense point of pride for us,” said Dan Mohnke, vice president, Chief Marketing Manager and Marketing Operations, Nissan North America, Inc. “For our brand to jump 10 spots in the industry is an amazing feat. This recognition is a testament to the incredibly skilled men and women at our manufacturing and engineering facilities around the world.”
Nissan’s overall brand performance improves by 20 PP100 and 10 spots, to 10th place overall among 32 brands. This improvement also moves the Nissan brand up five positions to the sixth spot among all non-premium brands. The 2016 results are four PP100 better than the Industry average of 105. This is due in part to an excellent performance from Nissan’s Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant, which also scored above average in the Americas assembly line rankings.
Two additional Nissan models join the Frontier in earning high placement within their segments. The 2016 Altima and 2016 Murano ranked among the top three in their respective classes. Altima missed the top spot in the very competitive mid-size sedan category by only one point, while the Murano in its second year was only three PP100 out of top spot in mid-size CUV.
More than 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2016 model-year vehicles were surveyed in this year’s J.D Power IQS. The 233-question study is organized into eight problem categories designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement. The study was fielded from February through May 2016.
