CONSUMER BRIEFS / CARS

With the public relations image of American auto manufacturing at an all-time low, results from J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study, which reports Jaguar and Buick in the top two spots -- unseating Lexus for the first time in 14 years -- seem almost counterintuitive.

Other notable statistics in the study, culled from surveys of 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles:

* Four of the top 10 most dependable car brands are American brands -- Buick, Mercury, Lincoln and Cadillac.

* The five least dependable car brands are imports -- Volkswagen, Land Rover, Isuzu, Mazda and Suzuki.

* Although Lexus was bumped out of the No. 1 slot, the Lexus LS 430 sedan had the best individual model score, with the fewest problems reported -- only 61 -- per 100 vehicles.