DETROIT: South Korean brands again demonstrated the best initial quality among 32 automotive brands sold in the United States, according to an annual ranking by researcher J.D. Power, with about half of the domestic brands better than average and all European brands below average.

Genesis, Kia and Hyundai, all part of the Hyundai Group, were the top three brands in the 2019 US Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures problems in the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. The latest IQS results were released on Wednesday.

Among those brands scoring below the industry average of 93 problems per 100 vehicles were Japanese automaker Honda, German luxury maker Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Jeep and General Motors’ Cadillac.

Anchoring the bottom of the rankings were British brands Jaguar and Land Rover, both affiliates of India’s Tata Motors.

J.D. Power said Tesla was not included in the latest IQS because its sample size was "unrepresentative.”

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