European automakers show the greatest improvement in overall vehicle quality, nearly tying Asian automakers for producing vehicles sold in the United States with the fewest problems in the first 90 days of ownership, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Initial Quality Study(SM) released May 17. While Asian automakers continue to set the standard, the 2001 study shows Europeans making the greatest strides in vehicle quality improvements, closing the gap on the Asian automakers to just one problem per 100 (PP100) vehicles. In 2000, the quality gap was 16 PP100. Vehicle quality by domestic automakers trails by a larger margin -- 13 PP100 behind Asian manufacturers. Toyota's Lexus Division continues to dominate other manufacturers in initial product quality, earning top honors in three out of the four segments in which it competes. Overall, Toyota Motor Corporation earns five car and truck assembly plant awards in the Asia Pacific and North/South American regions. "Toyota builds vehicles with more consistent quality levels across a platform than any other manufacturer," said Joe Ivers, partner and executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research at J.D. Power and Associates. "The Camry and the other vehicles built on the Camry platform -- the Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES 300, Lexus RX 300 and Toyota Sienna-are the best example of this. In addition, the Lexus RX 300 achieves the best initial quality score, 85 PP100, of any light truck since the study was updated in 1998. The major redesign and launch of the Lexus LS 430 came out as the top-performing model in the 2001 IQS study, with only 58 PP100." In addition to the United States, J.D. Power and Associates also surveys new-vehicle owners in eight other countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India and China. The 2001 IQS includes a global analysis of customer perceptions about vehicle initial quality across all nine countries. Consumers in various parts of the world have differing expectations of vehicle quality, particularly in areas such as feature performance and vehicle handling. The global perspective in the 2001 study helps manufacturers make better business decisions and optimize global quality improvement efforts, according to Power. Some of the most significant changes to the 2001 study are Jaguar's 21 percent reduction in problems since the 2000 study, followed by Jeep, Lexus and Volkswagen, which each improved by approximately 20 percent. Car models ranking highest in their segment are: Compact Car: Toyota Corolla Entry Midsize Car: Nissan Altima Premium Midsize Car: Toyota Avalon Full-Size Car: Chrysler Concorde Entry Luxury Car: Lexus ES 300 Mid Luxury Car: Saab 9-5 Premium Luxury Car: Lexus LS 430 Sporty Car: Acura Integra Premium Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette Light Truck models ranking highest in their segment are: Compact Pickup: GMC Sonoma Full-Size Pickup: Toyota Tundra Entry SUV: Honda CR-V Midsize SUV: Nissan Pathfinder Full-Size SUV: Ford Expedition Luxury SUV: Lexus RX 300 Compact Van: Toyota Sienna The study also shows that Toyota plants produce some of the best vehicles in initial quality in the world, with their Kyushu, Japan, car plant leading all other Asian plants and earning the Worldwide Platinum Plant Quality Award. Toyota's Cambridge, Ontario, plant in Canada earns the Gold Plant Quality Award for North/South America, and BMW earns the Gold Plant Quality Award for Europe for its plant in Munich, Germany. The United States is represented by Honda's Marysville, Ohio, plant and by Toyota's Georgetown, Ky., truck plant, which tie for the Silver Plant Quality Award for manufacturing locations in North/South America. Other Silver Plant Quality Awards include Jaguar's Browns Lane car plant in the U.K., and Toyota's car plant in Tahara, Japan. J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study is considered the automobile industry benchmark of quality for new vehicles. The study, now in its 15th year, examines the vehicle quality dynamics of 130 cars and 80 light trucks manufactured by 37 different nameplates. Results of the 2001 IQS study are based on more than 54,000 new-vehicle owners and lessees surveyed after 90 days of ownership and cover 135 potential problem symptoms. About J.D. Power and Associates Headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on actual customer responses from millions of consumers annually. Highlights from the 2001 Initial Quality Study are available at the J.D. Power Consumer Center, www.jdpower.com.