] According to a recent J.D. Power & Associates survey of
] new-car quality, American car makers now have a new
] low-priced, high-quality Korean rival to add to their
] list of expensive, high-quality Japanese nemeses in
] Toyota (NYSE: TM), Honda (NYSE: HMC), and Nissan (Nasdaq:
] NSANY). I refer, of course, to the surprise second-placer
] in J.D. Power's survey: Hyundai (which tied Honda for
] second and lost only to Toyota). The Korean automaker
] achieved its impressive numbers by slashing its average
] problems per 100 vehicles by nearly 30% in a single year.
] Since 1999, the company has improved its results by
] closer to 50%.

Who didn't see this coming?