| For the first time since 1999, a North | | | | produces the BMW 3-Series Coupe and 3-Series |
| American assembly plant receives the Platinum | | | | Sedan, received the Gold Plant Quality Award |
| Plant Quality Award for producing vehicles | | | | for Europe. |
| yielding the fewest defects. | | | | |
| | | | The Silver Quality Plant Award meanwhile went |
| J.D. Power has given the Platinum Plant | | | | to the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen, Germany, |
| Quality Award for producing vehicles with the | | | | plant, which produces the Mercedes-Benz |
| fewest defects to Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant | | | | C-Class, CL-Class, CLS-Class, E-Class Sedan, |
| in Michigan, which stopped making cars last | | | | E-Class Wagon, and S-Class. Audi's |
| May 31. The Detroit-area plant produced the | | | | Neckarsulm, Germany, plant, which produces |
| Lincoln Town Car, which averages 35 problems | | | | the Audi A6 Avant, A6 Sedan, A8 Sedan, RS 4 |
| per 100 vehicles. Plant awards are based | | | | Sedan, S6 Sedan and S8 Sedan, received the |
| solely on defect counts. | | | | Bronze Plant Quality Award. |
| | | | |
| Other honorees among North and South American | | | | The 2007 Initial Quality Study is based on |
| plants are the General Motors Oshawa 2 plant | | | | responses from more than 97,000 purchasers |
| in Ontario, Canada -- which produces the | | | | and lessees of new 2007 model-year cars and |
| Buick LaCrosse and Pontiac Grand Prix, for | | | | trucks surveyed after 90 days of ownership. |
| the Silver Plant Quality Award; and American | | | | The study is based on a 228-question battery |
| Honda's East Liberty, Ohio, plant, which | | | | designed to provide manufacturers with |
| produces the Honda Civic Sedan and Honda | | | | information to facilitate problem |
| Element, for the Bronze Plant Quality Award. | | | | determination and drive product improvement. |
| | | | |
| In the Asia Pacific region, Toyota's Kyushu, | | | | Aside from getting the Platinum Plant Quality |
| Japan, plant, which produces the Lexus ES | | | | Award for producing vehicles yielding the |
| 350, Lexus IS 250/IS 350, Lexus RX 350, Lexus | | | | fewest defects, Ford Motor Company also took |
| RX 400h and Toyota Highlander/Highlander | | | | five top model segment awards -- more than |
| Hybrid received the Gold Plant Quality Award. | | | | any other automobile corporation this year -- |
| | | | in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial |
| The Silver Plant Quality Award went to | | | | Quality Study released Wednesday last week. |
| another Toyota plant -- Toyota's Fujimatsu, | | | | |
| Japan, plant, which produces the Toyota | | | | In the study, Ford earned model segment |
| Prius. American Honda's Sayama, Japan, and | | | | awards for the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, |
| Suzuka, Japan, plants tied for the Bronze | | | | Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, and Mazda MX-5 |
| Plant Quality Award. The Sayama plant | | | | Miata. Mazda, maker of top of the line Mazda |
| produces the Acura RL, Acura TSX, Honda | | | | water pump, is 33.4 percent owned by Ford. |
| Accord Sedan/Hybrid Sedan and Honda CR-V. The | | | | |
| Suzuka plant produces the Honda Civic Sedan | | | | Ford's Lincoln nameplate, which received two |
| Hybrid Sedan, Fit and S2000. | | | | segment awards, improved to rank third in |
| | | | 2007, climbing from the 12th spot in 2006. |
| BMW's Regensburg, Germany, plant, which | | | | |