Car quality ratings may not mean much for Buick, Jaguar

The latest JDPower vehicle dependability report is out. The results of the study were once considered a good way to market brands. Auto companies spent millions of dollars bragging about their high marks. Consumers were supposed to flood the showrooms to buy the models that got the best ratings.

The power of the JDPower numbers may be gone, at least for now. The top two brands in this year's rankings are Jaguar and Buick. Both are fighting sharply lower sales, and Jaguar may be turning to the British government for aid, despite being owned by Tata Motors (TTM), an Indian company.