Lakeland Automall

• Ford brand now has the highest initial quality among all non-luxury brands, according to J.D. Power's closely watched Initial Quality Study
• Ford rose to fifth place from last year's eighth place. This is the highest rank position Ford has achieved in the IQS since ranking 23rd in 2004
• Three Ford models rank highest within their respective segments: Ford Focus, Mustang and Taurus
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J.D. Power and Associates announced today that the Hyundai Accent topped the sub-compact segment in its 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Owners of the economical and fun-to-drive 2010 Accent reported the fewest problems per 100 vehicles in its segment.  Elantra also finished in the top three in the compact car segment.

Overall, Hyundai finished third among non-premium brands in the 2010 Initial Quality Study, holding a top-three position for the second consecutive year, well below the industry average for reported problems per 100 vehicles.

Naturally, the Tribute also earns the distinction of being the least-expensive SUV to insure as well as the least-expensive vehicle to insure overall.

Edmunds.com named both the 2010 Hyundai Genesis and 2011 Hyundai Sonata to its Top 10 Best Dark-Horse Cars of 2010 list.  Edmunds.com, a premier online resource for automotive information, put together this list to showcase vehicles worthy of more serious consideration by car shoppers.

"The all-new Sonata is a smart buy with modern style, top-tier quality and outstanding residual value.  Couple that with a four-cylinder engine producing class-leading fuel economy and the power of a larger V6, and the Sonata should definitely be on consumer shopping lists in the mid-size sedan segment," said Scott Margason, director of product planning, Hyundai Motor America.  "Additionally, the North American Car of the Year-winning Genesis continues to be an extremely disruptive force in the large sedan and near-luxury segments."

Domestic brands, as a group, closed the quality gap with foreign brands for the first time since J.D. Power and Associates began tracking the initial quality of new vehicles 24 years ago. Quality is a big selling point for consumers shopping for new cars.

Hyundai's sleek, new 2010 Tucson crossover was named a "Best New Crossover" in the "Small Crossovers" category by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. The magazine named the top new models in eleven categories, and the Tucson topped competitors such as the Volvo XC60 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

"Hyundai's new Tucson was clearly the best new model in its category," said Jessica Anderson, associate editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance. "Hyundai's smallest crossover got a significant redesign this year. Sharply creased sheet metal and a more aggressive stance turn heads, a bigger engine gives it more oomph, and more-generous proportions increase both cargo space and passenger room, especially in the second row."

Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification, told our colleague Jewel Gopwani at the Detroit Free Press that Ford expects 10% to 25% of its sales by 2020 will be vehicles that in some way run on batteries, up from about 2% now.

Of those electrified vehicles, 70% will be hybrids, 20% to 25% plug-in hybrids, the rest pure electrics.

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