J.D. Power study: consumers prefer new car designs
Consumers like new cars. That's the shocking result of the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study, which measures owner "delight" with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles. The 11th annual APEAL (get it?) study found that all-new models or models with an extensive redesign received higher APEAL scores, which are usually linked to better sales and higher profits for carmakers.
Porsche, which is at the top of the list for J.D. Power's 2006 Initial Quality Survey, is also the highest ranking brand in the APEAL survey, courtesy of its curvaceous Cayman.
Models that were unchanged from 2005 tended to get lower than average scores. And the popular industry practice of "freshening" an existing design to give it that new car magic doesn't seem to work - freshened models also scored below average.
Check out the full list of nameplate rankings and individual segment leaders after the jump...
[Source: J.D. Power]
Cars:
Sub-Compact Car
Highest Ranked: Suzuki Aerio
Scion xA
Chevrolet Aveo
Compact Car
Highest Ranked: MINI Cooper
Volkswagen Jetta
Honda Civic
Compact Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Scion tC
Hyundai Tiburon
Pontiac Solstice
Compact Premium Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Porsche Cayman
Porsche Boxster
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Entry Premium Car
Highest Ranked:
Lexus IS 250/IS 350
BMW 3 Series
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Midsize Premium Car
Highest Ranked: Infiniti M-Series
Audi A6 (tie)
BMW 5 Series (tie)
Lexus GS 300/GS 430 (tie)
Large Premium Car
Highest Ranked: BMW 7 Series
Lexus LS 430
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Premium Sporty Car
Highest Ranked:
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Porsche 911
Chevrolet Corvette
Midsize Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Ford Mustang
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Pontiac GTO
Midsize Car
Highest Ranked: Ford Fusion
Volkswagen Passat
Mazda6
Large Car
Highest Ranked: Hyundai Azera
Chrysler 300 Series (tie)
Dodge Charger (tie)
Trucks and Vans:
Compact MAV
Highest Ranked: Toyota RAV4
Nissan Xterra (tie)
Suzuki Grand Vitara (tie)
Midsize MAV
Highest Ranked: Nissan Murano
Buick Rainier
Toyota 4Runner
Large MAV
Highest Ranked: Nissan Armada
GMC Yukon
Ford Expedition
Midsize Premium MAV
Highest Ranked:
Lexus GX 470 (tie)
Porsche Cayenne (tie)
BMW X5
Large Premium MAV
Highest Ranked: Infiniti QX56
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Lexus LX 470
Large Pickup
Highest Ranked: Nissan Titan
Chevrolet Avalanche
GMC Sierra HD
Midsize Pickup
Highest Ranked: Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Tacoma
Mitsubishi Raider
Van
Highest Ranked: Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Nissan Quest
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DJA 12:46PM (6/29/2006)
How about a study to determine they value of J.D. Power surveys. What a waste of time.
Reply
skaz 12:46PM (6/29/2006)
I've never been a big fan of Porsche designs. But that's besides what I'm getting at.
Who ranked .. Hummer and GMC above the black line? I mean, maybe Hummer, even though I personally think they're disgustugly. But GMC? What they hell are they making that "delights" anyone's eyeballs?
And of course consumers like new cars when the focus of the survey is *new* cars. I'm sure Hummer and GMC would not be on there if they were ranking the best looking cars of all time.
Reply
Richard Warren 1:02PM (6/29/2006)
Duh! My survey shows I'm more regular if I eat "new" fruit and vegetables everyday. #1 right with ya.
Reply
Michael Karesh 1:13PM (6/29/2006)
The Cayman breaks so much new ground stylistically. Otherwise, people might confuse it with the 911.
Reply
Michael Karesh 1:19PM (6/29/2006)
Just noticed that BMW is #2. How does this jive with BMW's severe number of "design defects?" Apparently those defects don't harm the APEAL of its cars.
Personally, I always find it hard to rate cars individually, as was the case with this survey. Is the person comparing the car to others in the same class? All cars? One or two particular cars, possibly their previous car? Unclear.
My solution, which I've just rolled out: have people only rate cars against specific other cars. Then the reference point is clear, and it's equally clear which they prefer.
http://www.truedelta.com/ratings.php
This tool will be refined and expanded considerably in coming months.
Reply
Lee Gibson 1:22PM (6/29/2006)
"The Cayman breaks so much new ground stylistically. Otherwise, people might confuse it with the 911."
Huh? You mean putting a roof on a Boxster? It's a gorgeous car, and a great design, but "much new ground"? Maybe not so much.
I like it much more than I like either the Boxster or the 911.
Reply
Carpooler doing his part 1:35PM (6/29/2006)
"Models that were unchanged from 2005 tended to get lower than average scores."
Go Ford Mustang! My guess is that it'll be #1 next year too. By the time the Camaro shows up Mustang will have a hat trick of these awards.
Reply
Thomas Chan 1:48PM (6/29/2006)
Infiniti M? OMG!Such a nasty design is appealing which means ppl have taste problem!
Reply
Presto 1:49PM (6/29/2006)
The grass is always greener on the other side. We are a society of me, me, me. We want things now, and we want them our way. People are mortgaging off their lives to have the next best thing. The automanufacturers are tightening their new design turnarounds to capitalize on the greed of our nation.
I love capitalism. (Seriously, I do)
Reply
Turtle bait 1:57PM (6/29/2006)
I beleive this report proves JD Powers is a pile of Sh*t.
Reply
Gardiner Westbound 2:19PM (6/29/2006)
"Consumers like new cars." - J.D. Power
Who knew?
Reply
MikeInNC 2:29PM (6/29/2006)
To be honest, as much as I might like the list to be a little different, I think they came out in the order that most people would expect them to. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes near the top and Subaru near the bottom.
BTW: I think the Cayman looks dynamite in person. Obvious influences from the 904/906. One of my favorite (and winningest) Porsches of all time.
Reply
Dan 3:51PM (6/29/2006)
One word... IOSIS. The only reason I'd ever consider buying a Ford.... and it'll never be built. Are there that many conservative right-wing old farts running these American companies that they fear bottoming out on failing after taking such a brave stride? Riiiight... it's soooo much better to have a long and drawn out demise.
Reply
Non-Bizarro Adam 4:12PM (6/29/2006)
Not trying to be too shameless in my support of old Karesh, but I did try out his new vehicle comparison site, and it does seem to make a lot more sense to do it his way that JD Powers'. It's broken out into categories that allow you to say specific enough things about the cars to be useful, not just assigning a "delight" score to the cars. Overall a useful tool.
On a side note, I am glad that the Ridgeline is classed as a mid-size as opposed to a full-size truck. As much as I don't care for the vehicle, the only person I know who has one loves it, so more power to them, and congratulations.
Reply