Audi's work on quality has paid off; Effort has raised rank in current J.D. Power study.

Byline: Diana T. Kurylko

Audi's three-year drive to tackle quality problems in the US has paid off.

The German brand jumped three spots to No. 8 in the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Initial Quality Study.

Audi set out to improve its quality in 2002 when it languished below the industry average for problems per 100 vehicles after 90 days of ownership.

The carmaker began by accepting the idea that listening to its US customers makes sense. Audi now looks at US quality monthly at the board level. It often makes changes to all its vehicle