15 Sep 06 16:55
Jaguar has scored a surprise first-place result in a survey by Germany's Auto Zeitung magazine. The mag asked over 30,000 of its readers to rate 33 car brands for reliability, product quality and service - and Jaguar beat Germany's own Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to the top spot as well as the usually all-conquering Japanese brands.
Auto Zeitung's readers are said to have been particularly impressed by the expertise of staff at Jaguar's dealerships in Germany, as well as the ease of arranging test drives and the detailed introduction they received to their cars when they took delivery.
Auto Zeitung's Heinrich Lingner said: 'It comes as a big surprise that a European brand has beaten the Japanese who have come first for several years running. Our readers voted just four European brands into the top ten; the other three were Porsche, Volvo and BMW.' Last year, Jaguar came fifth place in the survey, and 18th in 2004.
Jaguar's managing director Bibiana Boerio said: 'Getting the top spot reinforces what we already know about the high standards of quality found in our cars from the prestigious JD Power survey conducted in the US. In 2005, Jaguar was second for quality, meaning it was the highest-ranked European name plate, while our Halewood plant where the X-Type is built won the Gold Plant Quality Award in Europe.'
