Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[<i>Car and Driver</i> calls out J.D. Power IQS]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/05/car-and-driver-calls-out-j-d-power-iqs/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/05/car-and-driver-calls-out-j-d-power-iqs/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/05/car-and-driver-calls-out-j-d-power-iqs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

2012 Ford Explorer

Ford has taken it on the chin from J.D. Power since the carmaker rolled out its new MyFord Touch system in the 2011 Explorer. Ford's ranking in the influential Initial Quality Survey dropped from fifth last year all the way down to 23rd, in large measure because of customer dissatisfaction with the new technology and its voice recognition interface, but also because of refinement complaints about the PowerShift dual-clutch transmission in the Fiesta. But unlike, say, the Houston Cougars, who plummeted in the Bowl Championship Series rankings after getting blown out in the Conference USA title game this weekend, Ford can make a pretty good case that it's getting jobbed.

The traditional definition of quality when it comes to new cars and trucks has been based on those vehicles being free of defects. But in the last few years, the tide has been turning, in large measure because J.D. Power is increasingly weighing customer complaints related to design and, in particular, new electronic technology. Car and Driver paints the complaints that have dogged Ford among the latter, suggesting that these are less valid quality metrics than something like a poorly assembled door panel.

The venerable buff book doesn't stop at defending Ford, however, cautioning against what it sees as a trend "toward the lowest-common-denominator solutions to reduce design 'problems.'" Citing examples like BMW moving its cruise control from a separate stalk to buttons on the steering wheel to appease whining customers and Porsche getting dinged on IQS for using brake pads that generate too much dust, C/D doesn't say it outright, but certainly implies that J.D. Power is no longer pushing automakers in the right direction.

Car and Driver calls out J.D. Power IQS originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apealapeal studycar and driverexplorerfiestafordinitial quality studyiqsj.d. powerjd powermyford touchmylincoln touchpowershiftqualityMon, 05 Dec 2011 13:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20120747/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/12/05/car-and-driver-calls-out-j-d-power-iqs/20120747/article-detail.xml 20120747 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/2012-ford-explorer-ecoboost-fd-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/2012-ford-explorer-ecoboost-fd-opt.jpg <![CDATA[Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/hyundai-jeep-and-chrysler-show-biggest-gains-in-j-d-power-apea/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/hyundai-jeep-and-chrysler-show-biggest-gains-in-j-d-power-apea/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/hyundai-jeep-and-chrysler-show-biggest-gains-in-j-d-power-apea/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

hyundai emblem

J.D. Power loves to know what you think about new cars and the companies that make them. One of their annual reports is called the APEAL study, which looks at automotive performance, execution and layout, and this analytic look at makes and models is tallied up within a 1,000-point scale. The average score for the entire industry currently sits at 781, which is an improvement over last year's average of 778.

Sitting at the top of the APEAL scoreboard for the seventh year in a row is Porsche, with a rating of 879. It's not surprising to see the German automaker sit in the pole position, but a few other automakers have made vertically positive moves. Hyundai earned 793 points this year, which is a 33-point improvement over the 2010 study and puts the Korean automaker well above the industry average.

Other major winners are Jeep and Chrysler. Jeep jumped 32 points for a 2011 score of 759, and Chrysler climbed 27 points, to 775.

Curious to see how the rest of the industry shakes out? Click past the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report

Hyundai, Jeep and Chrysler show biggest gains in J.D. Power APEAL report originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apeal studychryslerhyundaij.d. powerj.d. power apeal studyjeepWed, 27 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20002383/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/07/27/hyundai-jeep-and-chrysler-show-biggest-gains-in-j-d-power-apea/20002383/article-detail.xml 20002383 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/hyundai-emblem-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/07/hyundai-emblem-630.jpg <![CDATA[Domestics surpass imports as a whole in 2010 J.D. Power APEAL study]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/domestics-surpass-imports-as-a-whole-in-j-d-power-2010-apeal-st/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/domestics-surpass-imports-as-a-whole-in-j-d-power-2010-apeal-st/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/domestics-surpass-imports-as-a-whole-in-j-d-power-2010-apeal-st/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Click above for gallery of the graphics from J.D. Power and Associates

Porsche once again grabs the top spot (for the sixth time in a row) in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study. This year's study asked 76,000 owners 90 days after purchasing their 2010 model-year cars "how gratifying their new vehicle is to own and drive." The answer, for the first time since 1997, was that the domestic brands were more "appealing" as a whole than the imports (the domestics earned a score of 787 on a 1,000-point scale - 13 points greater than the imports).

When it comes down to specific awards (as shown in the segment-level graphics), Ford leads with five. The automaker earned one each for the Expedition, Explorer Sport Trac, Flex, Fusion and Taurus. Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen each garner two awards. The Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Avalanche, both segment leaders, are the only two models that ranked highest in the 2010 APEAL study and in the 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS) announced in June. Suzuki is credited with the greatest improvement this year, while Jeep drops one slot from last year's 2009 APEAL Study and falls to the bottom of the list for 2010. Check out the gallery for the graphics, and read the full press release after the break.


Gallery: J.D. Power 2010 APEAL Awards


[Source: JDPower.com]

Continue reading Domestics surpass imports as a whole in 2010 J.D. Power APEAL study

Domestics surpass imports as a whole in 2010 J.D. Power APEAL study originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009 APEAL2009 IQS2009Apeal2009Iqs2010 APEAL2010 Study2010Apeal2010StudyAPEALAPEAL StudyApealStudyAwardExecutionIQSj.d. powerJ.D. Power and AssociatesJ.d.PowerJ.d.PowerAndAssociatesjd powerJDPAJdPowerLayoutPerformanceRecipientSurveyThu, 15 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19555001/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/15/domestics-surpass-imports-as-a-whole-in-j-d-power-2010-apeal-st/19555001/article-detail.xml 19555001 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/apealpage_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/apealpage.jpg <![CDATA[J.D. Power study: consumers prefer new car designs]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/29/j-d-power-study-consumers-prefer-new-car-designs/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/29/j-d-power-study-consumers-prefer-new-car-designs/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/29/j-d-power-study-consumers-prefer-new-car-designs/#commentsFiled under:



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]

Continue reading J.D. Power study: consumers prefer new car designs

J.D. Power study: consumers prefer new car designs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2006 new car studyapeal studyj. d. powerjd powerJdPowerporsche caymanThu, 29 Jun 2006 12:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/638149/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/06/29/j-d-power-study-consumers-prefer-new-car-designs/638149/article-detail.xml 638149 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/06/porschecaymanspeed_thumbnail.jpg http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/06/porschecaymanspeed.jpg -1 2