One of the biggest changes Ford made was to its much-maligned infotainment system. The previous MyFord Touch had been lambasted by independent studies and gave customers, including Ford's top executives, trouble when it would freeze or crash mid-drive.
In early 2013, executives gathered to approve the spending plan for Ford's next-gen system: Sync 3. Hinrichs said there was talk about scaling back the number of vehicles in which they offered the system to avoid more dents in Ford's quality scores, although the company ultimately chose to forge ahead.
"The data was very strong: The customers wanted the technology; they just wanted it to work," he said last week. "Instead of backing off on the penetration rates, we decided to spend our money, energy and time on developing an even better system."
That included moving much of the work in-house and switching partners from Microsoft to QNX, although Hinrichs noted that Microsoft was a big part of making progress in fixing the MyFord Touch system "in areas that really were not their fault."
The resulting Sync 3 system has scored well. Sargent said last week that infotainment is now a competitive advantage for Ford.
"They've also made a lot of other strong improvements in terms of powertrain and other features on the vehicle," he said. "Honestly, I would say Ford was probably the strongest improvement because it's across such a wide product line." Ford's Lincoln brand, meanwhile, ranked ninth, ahead of most of its luxury rivals.
Ford has the opportunity to improve again next year, Sargent said, because it doesn't have many vehicle introductions. According to the annual Bank of America Merrill Lynch "Car Wars" report, only 4 percent of its volume will be replaced. But a 50 percent volume replacement looms in 2020, according to "Car Wars."
"When you launch that much of your volume, there are always inherent risks," Sargent said. "There's no doubt that will be a real test for them."
Ford believes it can meet that challenge.
"We're working hard to make sure we keep improving," Hinrichs said. "The competition is not stopping, and we won't stop either. We want to be best in class."
Top three models per segment
Segment | Highest ranked | Others ranked |
Small Car | Chevrolet Sonic | Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit |
Small Premium Car | BMW 2 Series | BMW i3, Lexus CT |
Compact Car | Kia Forte | Chevrolet Cruze (tie), Toyota Corolla (tie), Volkswagen Jetta (tie) |
Compact Sporty Car* | Mini Cooper | |
Compact MPV* | Kia Soul | |
Compact Premium Car | BMW 4 Series | Lexus ES, Cadillac ATS |
Midsize Car | Toyota Camry | Kia Optima, Nissan Altima |
Midsize Sporty Car* | Ford Mustang | Dodge Challenger |
Minivan* | Chrysler Pacifica | Dodge Grand Caravan |
Midsize Premium Car | Lexus GS | Lincoln Continental, Audi A7 |
Midsize Premium Sporty Car* | Porsche 911 | |
Large Car | Kia Cadenza | Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima |
Small SUV | Kia Niro | Kia Sportage, Buick Encore (tie), Volkswagen Tiguan (tie) |
Small Premium SUV* | Mercedes-Benz GLA | BMW X1 |
Compact SUV | GMC Terrain | Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox |
Compact Premium SUV | Porsche Macan | BMW X3, BMW X4 |
Midsize SUV | Kia Sorento | Toyota Highlander, Buick Enclave |
Midsize Premium SUV | BMW X6 | BMW X5, Porsche Cayanne |
Midsize Pickup | Nissan Frontier | Chevrolet Colorado, Honda Ridgeline |
Large SUV | Ford Expedition | Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota Sequoia |
Large Premium SUV | Infiniti QX80 | Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLS |
Large Light Duty Pickup | Chevrolet Silverado | Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra |
Large Heavy Duty Pickup* | Chevrolet Silverado HD | Ford Super Duty |
*No other model in this segment performs above segment average. |
There must be at least three models with 80% of market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented. The Large Premium Car segment did not meet criteria to be award eligible, thus no awards will be issued. |