Buick jumps atop dependability chart

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2007 | by Sharon Silke Carty

DETROIT -- In a major coup, Buick landed a spot at the top of the influential J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, tying with Lexus.

It was the first time in more than a dozen years that any brand other than Lexus had been at the top of the study.

General Motors, which owns Buick, has been targeting quality improvements as a way to win back customers who fled domestic car brands for their import rivals. GM's July market share was 23.9% in the USA, its most important market, down from 27% just a year ago. That makes winning new customers a more critical goal than ever before.

Three GM brands were ranked in the top 10 on the dependability study: along with Buick were Cadillac and the now-defunct Oldsmobile.

The Vehicle Dependability...