TORRANCE, CA, U.S.A., June 6, 2007 – Honda announced that it was identified as the top non-premium nameplate in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The Honda Civic and the all-new Honda CR-V ranked as top vehicles in the compact car and compact MAV segments, leading Honda to rise in the nameplate rankings by two positions to the fourth overall vehicle brand.

QS serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership and captures problems experienced by owners in two distinct categories-quality of design and quality of production (defects and malfunctions). The study ranked nameplates and vehicles based on survey reports of Problems Per Hundred Units (PPHU) studied. Honda vehicles averaged only 108 PPHU, an improvement of 2 PPHU over 2006. The Honda Civic scored highest in the Compact Car segment, with an IQS rating of 94 PPHU, and the all-new Honda CR-V scored highest in the Compact Multi Activity Vehicle segment, with an IQS rating of 91 PPHU.

"Honda prides itself on great fuel economy and a fun driving experience, but vehicle quality has always been the top priority," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "These IQS results help validate our ongoing quality efforts."

The 2007 Honda Civic lineup features a well-equipped and technologically-advanced Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, the ultra-efficient Civic Hybrid, the dedicated natural-gas powered Civic GX and the ultra-sporty Civic Si Coupe and Sedan. The all-new 2007 Honda CR-V features a sophisticated design that delivers near-luxury style along with world-class refinement and four-cylinder engine efficiency.

In addition, three Honda manufacturing facilities received plant awards through the study with East Liberty, Ohio receiving the Bronze plant award in North/South America; Sayama, Japan; and Suzuka, Japan tying for Bronze Award honors for plants in Asia Pacific.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. Find more detailed findings on new-vehicle quality performance as well as model photos and specs by watching a video, reading an article and reviewing quality ratings at www.JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.