Hyundai, Kia named No. 1 in China vehicle dependability test

South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. said Wednesday that four of their models won top spots in a dependability study among cars sold in China.
  

Hyundai's subcompact Accent was named the best car in the compact upper segment, beating competitors such as Volkswagen's supermini Polo and Japanese carmaker Toyota's Yaris in the Vehicle Dependability Study by J.D. Power and Associates, a U.S.-based marketing information service provider, the company said in a press release.

The rankings were based on the responses of some 17,000 customers who purchased their cars between June 2010 and August 2011 in 43 Chinese cities. The winners were picked among a total of 155 models from 55 different brands sold in the country. 
   
Two more Hyundai models topped the list in their segments, including the midsize basic Elantra, also known as the Avante XD, and the redesigned midsize Yuedong Elantra, while Kia's Sportage was placed No. 1 among midsize sport utility vehicles in the dependability test, the automakers said.
  

The South Korean carmakers also claimed the top spots in J.D. Power's Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout surveys in China earlier in November, with Kia at No. 1 and Hyundai trailing in second place. 
   
Hyundai and Kia are brands of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automaker. (Yonhap)