GM Surges to Top of Quality Rating With Ostrich Feathers: Cars

General Motors Co.’s fight to overtake Toyota Motor Corp. in quality began with simple things such as relocating door-lock buttons to a more convenient location and using ostrich feathers to dust vehicles before painting.

“It’s a thousand little things that are done just an inch better at a time that adds up to getting a product that’s right at the top of the list,” Mike Hardie, director of global quality strategy at GM, said yesterday in an interview.