Which Factory Builds the Best Cars?
Maybe some factories have happier workers, or maybe their production lines are just particularly snappy. Whatever the case, certain vehicle assembly plants produce fewer defects per 100 cars than others, and J.D. Power and Associates has just released its annual list of the top manufacturing facilities.
The Daimler plant in East London, South Africa, took the top honor with the Platinum award. It manufactures the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and recorded only 28 problems per 100 vehicles.
In the Americas, the GM plant in Lansing, Mich., earned a Bronze award with 37 problems per 100 vehicles with the Cadillac CTS and STS. It was bested for its region by the Toyota plant in Cambridge South, Ontario (30 problems), and the Ford plant in Hermosillo, Mexico (33 problems), which took Gold and Silver awards, respectively.
Check out the winning factories in the Asia Pacific region, Europe and Africa that produce cars sold in the U.S. after the jump.
Asia Pacific
Gold: Toyota; Kyushu 2, Japan; 32 problems per 100 vehicles. Builds: Lexus ES, IS and RX.
Silver: Toyota; Tahara 3, Japan; 33 problems per 100 vehicles. Builds: Lexus GS, IS and LS.
Bronze: Toyota; Kyushu 1, Japan; 37 problems per 100 vehicles. Builds: Lexus HS and RX; Toyota Highlander.
Europe and Africa
No gold
Silver: Porsche; Stuttgart, Germany; 32 problems per 100 vehicles. Builds: Porsche 911 and Boxster.
Bronze: Daimler; Sindelfingen, Germany; 33 problems per 100 vehicles. Builds: Mercedes Benz CL-Class; CLS-Class; E-Class Sedan; and S-Class.
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
Toyota got gold, Ford got silver, and GM gets bronze. That's not a surprise to anyone.
I loved what I saw in the Ferrari factory / assembly plant. They showed it in Nat Geo.