2014 Chevy Malibu Backs Big-time Bowtie Gains in IQS

Battling it out in one of the most competitive car segments in the country, the 2014 Chevy Malibu recently took home the top prize in the Midsize Car category of the 2014 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The annual study aims to provide a measure of vehicle quality during the first 90 days of operation, with the most current data drawn from a 233-question survey that was answered by more than 86,000 drivers.

And just to be clear here, victory for the 2014 Chevy Malibu meant ousting top names like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and other popular products. The Malibu's midsize mastery also signaled even bigger things for the Bowtie brand in the current IQS rankings: The Chevy Silverado HD won another much-coveted category by leading the full-size heavy-duty pickup segment, the Chevy Suburban tied its GMC Yukon platform-mate for first prize in the Large SUV segment, and the division overall finished third among non-premium brands behind Hyundai and Toyota—the latter of which Chevrolet trailed by a single point.

For a bit more context, the top 10 brands in the 2014 Initial Quality Study were:  

1. Porsche
2. Jaguar
3. Lexus
4. Hyundai
5. Toyota
6. Chevrolet
7. Kia
8. BMW
9. Honda
10. Lincoln

Additionally, the Chevy Camaro and Equinox were second-place segment finishers, in the Midsize Sporty Car and Compact SUV categories, while Tahoe notched a third-place trophy among the Large SUVs.

That performance, combined with three segment wins and two second-place trophies for Buick, Cadillac and GMC, in turn pushed GM to the top of the heap as the automaker with most IQS awards in the industry for the second consecutive year.   

Said Alicia Boler-Davis, senior vice president GM Global Quality and Customer Experience: “We are committed to providing customers with the highest levels of safety, quality and an exceptional ownership experience. Having the most award recipients of any automaker shows that we are on the right track by putting the customer front and center in everything we do.”

It's further worth noting that, even as the 2014 Chevy Malibu and friends were acing the IQS, a bunch of other Bowtie products were winning their segments in the 2014 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Those entries included:

• Chevy Impala—Large Car
• Chevy Sonic—Economy Car
• Chevy Camaro—Sporty Car
• Chevy Corvette—Sports Car