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What do J.D. Power's quality ratings really measure?

Check these recently released J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) results. Do they raise any questions in your mind? Premium sports-car maker Porsche sits in first place for the third straight year, so are Porsches really the best-built cars in the U.S. market? Korean brands Kia and Hyundai are second and fourth, so are Korean vehicles suddenly better than their US, European, and Japanese competitors? Are workaday Chevrolets (seventh place) better than premium Buicks (11th), and Buicks better than luxury Cadillacs (21st), even though all are assembled in General Motors plants with the same processes and many shared parts? Are Japanese Acuras (26th) worse than German Volkswagens (24th)? And is "quality" really what it used to be (and what most perceive it to be), a measure of build excellence? Or has it evolved into much more a measure of likeability and ease of use? To properly analyze these widely watched results, we must first understand what IQS actually studies, and what the numerical scores really mean. First, as its name indicates, it's all about "initial" quality, measured by problems reported by new-vehicle owners in their first 90 days of ownership. If something breaks or falls off four months in, it doesn't count here. Second, the scores are problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100. So Power's 2015 IQS industry average of 112 PP100 translates to just 1.12 reported problems per vehicle. Third, no attempt is made to differentiate BIG problems from minor ones. Thus a transmission or engine failure counts the same as a squeaky glove box door, tricky phone pairing, inconsistent voice recognition, or anything else that annoys the owner. Traditionally, a high-quality vehicle is one that is well-bolted together. It doesn't leak, squeak, rattle, shed parts, show gaps between panels, or break down and leave you stranded. By this standard, there are very few poor-quality new vehicles in today's U.S. market. But what "quality" should not mean, is subjective likeability: ease of operation of the radio, climate controls, or seat adjusters, phone pairing, music downloading, sizes of touch pads on an infotainment screen, quickness of system response, or accuracy of voice-recognition. These are ergonomic "human factors" issues, not "quality" problems. Yet these kinds of pleasability issues are now dominating today's JDP "quality" ratings.

Porsche releases special edition 911 GTS Club Coupe

Porsche is never afraid to add one more variant of the 911 to the lineup, but its latest inclusion to the range is being kept extra limited, to keep things super special. The automaker is building just 60 examples of the 911 GTS Club Coupe, and only members of the Porsche Club of America can order them. The organization fittingly celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Prices for 59 of the cars start at $136,060, plus $995 destination, with deliveries in June, and club members can win the last car (the showcar) as a prize. Mechanically, these vehicles take the 430-horsepower engine, wider body and rest of the updates from the regular 911 GTS, but all of these come in a unique color called Club Blau. The cobalt shade gets set off with black frames around the bi-xenon headlights, tinted taillights and black chrome exhaust outlets. The limited coupes also get a vintage-inspired ducktail rear spoiler and 20-inch Sport Classic wheels in a mix of semi-gloss black and polished metal that evoke the look of the classic Fuchs wheels on older 911s. For added contrast inside, the seat stitching, seat belts and tachometer are offset in red. Plus, the trim for the dashboard, doors and center console features carbon fiber. Capping things off, a plaque reading "GTS Club Coupe 60 Years Porsche Club of America" is near the glovebox. Being a Porsche, there are still options on these special models. The Extended Club Coupe Package goes so far as to include the key painted in Club Blau and adds leather-edged floormats. A custom car cover is also available. Check out the gallery to pick out all of the stylish tweaks for these celebratory 911s. GTS CLUB COUPE REVEALED IN THE NEW PCNA HEADQUARTERS AT ONE PORSCHE DRIVE Porsche celebrates 60th anniversary of Porsche Club of America with limited-edition 911 model Atlanta. Celebrating six decades of the largest Porsche club organization in the world, Porsche Cars North America is commemorating this milestone with a 60 unit limited-production run of the Club Coupe based on the 911 Carrera GTS. Known as the GTS Club Coupe, the 430 hp sports car is painted in a color unique to this model appropriately named "Club Blau," which was created exclusively for this anniversary edition by the Porsche Club of America.

Son of Porsche 911 designer recalls 1963 Frankfurt debut

The Goodwood Revival is described by its presenters as the greatest motorsport racing party of the year. We often focus heavily on the motorsports, but you can't forget about the party. For the first preview of the new 911 Turbo in the UK, Porsche recreated its booth from the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963 - the time and place of the original 911's public debut.
Porsche's cameras also caught up with Mark Porsche, the great grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and son of the late Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, who oversaw the design of the 911. Mark Porsche admires the 911's friendly design, which is set off by the round headlights, and says his mother, who was at the original Frankfurt booth in 1963, was milling around the booth at Goodwood - no doubt taking a trip down memory lane.