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J.D. Power: The best new cars

Quality is in the upswing for carmakers these days, according to an annual report from the market researcher.

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Initial Quality

Automakers are making huge strides in making better cars, according to the latest report from market researcher J.D. Power and Associates.

The researcher's annual "Initial Quality Study" looks at both "defects and malfunctions" as well as "quality of design." For this report, vehicle owners are surveyed at 90 days of ownership.

Three-fourths of brands scored better in 2008 than in last year's study. 86% of that gain was due to defect reduction.

But "Quality of design," which tracks problems that are designed into a car rather than the result of a manufacturing glitch, hasn't seen much improvement. Hard-to-use audio and entertainment controls are a big complaint, the company said.

Initial quality surveys have proven to be good at determining long-term durability of vehicles, according to J.D. Power.

By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEXT: Overall brand rankings