WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -

Initial quality is on the rise in the auto business, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which said Wednesday that it was 2009 the last time this much progress was made.

But one thing remained the same.

Once again leading the pack among auto brands is Lexus, which earned the No. 1 position in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study for the second straight year. What’s more, this was the 14th time Lexus has taken the crown since the brand’s 1990 debut. 

There were just 73 problems reported per 100 vehicles for the Japanese luxury brand.

Jaguar — which showed the most improvement from 2011 of any brand — tied with Porsche for the No. 2 spot, as both had scores of 75 problems per 100 vehicles.This marked a 39 PP 100 reduction for Jaguar, which enabled it to leap from No. 20 to No. 2.

“For Jaguar to be the most improved brand in Initial Quality, and tie for second highest among nameplates in industry, is a major accomplishment for everyone in this organization. Customers speak through these studies and it’s imperative that all manufacturers listen,” said David Pryor, U.S. Jaguar brand vice president.

Meanwhile, Cadillac (80 PP 100) was fourth and Honda (83 PP 100) was fifth.

Breaking down the model-level segment awards, Lexus was tied atop the list with Ford, as each was represented in three of the 21 segments (Ford: Expedition, Mustang, Taurus; Lexus: ES 350, LS, RX).

Infiniti, Nissan and Toyota each were honored two of the segments. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Honda, Kia, Mazda and Volvo each had one vehicle winner apiece.

Overall, initial quality came in at 102 PP 100 for the industry, a 5 PP 100 improvement from 2011.

Editor’s Note: Stay tuned to Auto Remarketing for more comprehensive coverage of J.D. Power’s 2012 Initial Quality Study.