Hyundai Motor takes top spot in J.D. Power survey in U.S.

Hyundai Motor took first place for mass-market brands in the J.D Power’s 2014 Automotive Performance Execution and Layout (APEAL) study yesterday for the first time, with its small affiliate Kia Motors’ taking the No. 6 spot.

According to the U.S. market information provider, Hyundai was ranked No. 1 among 20 mass-market brands after scoring 803 points out of 1,000. For premium brands, Porsche topped the ranking with 882 points.

For this year’s APEAL, J.D. Power surveyed more than 86,000 American consumers about 2014 vehicles they had purchased or leased within the previous 90 days. Consumers were asked to grade their vehicles in 77 categories.

By model, Hyundai Accent took the top rating in the subcompact segment, while Kia’s Soul was No.1 in the compact multipurpose vehicle category.