U.S. Quality Improvement in the Auto Industry: Close but No Cigar.

There has been a great deal of recent discussion and strong advertising claims concerning the extent of the quality gap between American and Japanese auto manufacturers. This article explores developments over the last decade, providing an assessment of the size and nature of the remaining gap. In particular, the author shows how consideration of new product development practices changes the way we should assess measures of quality performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]