The California-based consulting firm's APEAL study -- also known as the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study -- asked consumers to evaluate their new vehicles after two to six months of ownership.

Consumers rated vehicle exterior, interior, storage and space, infotainment, seats, air conditioning and heating, powertrain, visibility and driving safety; driving dynamics; and fuel economy.

Volkswagen Group received top grades in four product segments with the VW Golf, VW CC, Audi A4L and Audi A6L. (Product categories are listed below.)

The German automaker did significantly better than last year, when only one of its models finished on top.

Other strong performers were General Motors, which topped two categories with the Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sail, and Honda, which also won two categories with the CR-V and Odyssey.

J.D. Power based its results on evaluations last summer by 17,479 car buyers.

The survey rated 155 light vehicles on a 1,000-point scale. According to J.D. Power, the Korean brands showed the most improvement, with a score that rose 47 points over last year's results.

The consulting firm says Japanese, American, European and Chinese brands also improved, but brand-to-brand comparisons aren't possible because J.D. Power did not publish each brand's overall score.

As a group, the auto industry scored 825 out of 1,000 points, up 17 points from the previous year and the highest result since the survey was launched in 2003.

The industry did better in all 10 equipment categories, with the biggest improvements in infotainment and air conditioning.

The top-ranking models by segment are:

Compact: Chevrolet Spark

Premium compact: Chevrolet Sail

Entry mid-sized: Hyundai Verna and Toyota Yaris (tie)

Mid-sized: Volkswagen Golf

Lower premium mid-sized: FAW Besturn B70

Upper premium mid-sized: Volkswagen CC

Entry Luxury: Audi A4L

Luxury: Audi A6L

SUV: Honda CR-V

MPV: Honda Odyssey

Minivan: Wuling Rongguang