Autoblog

Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study

Michael Harley — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Marketing/Advertising, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Volkswagen, Luxury

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

Porsche grabs the top spot for the fifth year in a row in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study. For this year's study, the team at JDPA gathered information from more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year cars and questioned them on more than 90 vehicle attributes. Their studies examined "how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive," based on those evaluations.

While the APEAL nameplate ranking is significant (Porsche, Jaguar, and Cadillac round out the top-three), the segment winners offer more insight into what today's buyers are seeking. This year, it appears to be the newly launched models including the Volkswagen CC, Nissan Maxima, Dodge Challenger, and Ford Flex... each took top honors in their respective category. This year's biggest upset comes in the "Midsize Premium Car" segment as the all-new Hyundai Genesis (sedan) knocks the BMW 5 Series from the podium. Check out the gallery for the graphics, and read the full press release after the break.

Gallery: 2009 J.D. Power APEAL Results

[Source: JDPower.com]

Continue reading Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study

Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lexus leads, Hyundai improves, while Infiniti drops in J.D. Power 2009 Initial Quality Study

Michael Harley — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Cadillac, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Porsche, Suzuki

Click above for a gallery of the graphtastic images from J.D. Power and Associates

J.D. Power and Associates has released its 2009 Initial Quality Study (IQS) and Lexus has taken the top spot away from Porsche, the initial quality leader for the past three years. The annual J.D. Power study measures IQS based on problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100) -- a lower score means a lower rate of problem incidences and higher quality.

This year, the industry average is 108 PP100, demonstrating a steady improvement from 118 PP100 in 2008, and 125 PP100 in 2007. In addition to the marked improvement by the industry overall, many brands continued to perform well in 2009. Following Lexus and Porsche is Cadillac (which moves from 10th rank position in 2008 to third in 2009), Hyundai (jumping from 13th rank position in 2008 to 4th in 2009) and Honda (up from 7th in 2008 to 5th in 2009). Infiniti, second in last year's study, drops to 11th overall, while Suzuki posts the largest improvement in ranking, moving from 32nd place in 2008 to 9th in 2009. The complete J.D. Power press release and charts can be found after the jump and in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2009 J.D. Power IQS Results

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading Lexus leads, Hyundai improves, while Infiniti drops in J.D. Power 2009 Initial Quality Study

Lexus leads, Hyundai improves, while Infiniti drops in J.D. Power 2009 Initial Quality Study originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

J.D. Power debuts Vehicle Launch Index to assess new model launches

John Neff — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:58:00 EST

J.D. Power & Associates has long been known as the firm that can sway the fortunes of automakers with its many surveys on quality, dependability and customer satisfaction. All of the firm's work to date has focused on a buyer's experience after he or she purchases a new vehicle... until now. Perhaps feeling the need to diversify its services in this difficult economic climate, J.D. Power is throwing opens its doors to automakers as a kind of third-party launch consultant. The firm is introducing what it calls a Vehicle Launch Index that gauges the success of a new model launch for automakers. According to J.D. Power, factors that go into judging the success of a launch include "turn rate, credit quality, residual factor, dealer gross profit, vehicle price and incentive spend." We don't know what half of those things mean, but can tell you that we base our judgment of a vehicle's launch success solely on the quality of hor d'ourves served at its auto show debut.

We have no doubt that automakers will line up for the new Vehicle Launch Index (they love this type of data, which makes good memo material), though we hope J.D. Power returns with a ranking for the 50-some new product launches that are slated for 2009.

[Source: J.D. Power & Associates]

Continue reading J.D. Power debuts Vehicle Launch Index to assess new model launches

J.D. Power debuts Vehicle Launch Index to assess new model launches originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

JD Power: Honda leads industry in customer retention

Michael Harley — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Earnings/Financials

Click the image above to see J.D. Power and Associates Customer Retention Study

Honda has taken the top spot away from Toyota in the latest "Customer Retention Study" from J.D. Power and Associates. The global marketing information firm surveyed 147,238 buyers/lessees to determine how likely they were to replace their previously new vehicle with another from the same brand. Honda, for the first time, led the pack with a retention ranking of 64.7%, followed by Toyota (63.2%) and Lexus (60.4%). Mercedes-Benz (58.6%) barely edged BMW (58.5%) for the fourth position. The Germans are being chased by Ford (52.5%) and Chevrolet (52.0%). At the bottom of the list was Jaguar, struggling to retain just 26.2% of its customers (if you are a Jaguar salesman, there is apparently no need to send holiday cards this year).

While JDPA sites Honda's reputation for building safe vehicles with high resale values as instrumental in landing the headline position, they also note that fuel economy, ownership/maintenance costs, and deals/incentives play an increasingly larger role in the process. The firm projects 2009 new vehicle sales will plummet to below 12 million units in 2009, making customer retention more important now than ever before. Check out all of the rankings in the chart after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading JD Power: Honda leads industry in customer retention

JD Power: Honda leads industry in customer retention originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jaguar tops JD Power customer sales satisfaction survey

Noah Joseph — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:18:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Jaguar

The results are in from J.D. Power and Associates' latest annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and Jaguar has leapt back up to the top position that it occupied for three of the four past years before dropping last year to third. The study surveyed some 36,000 buyers and leasers of new cars on their dealership experience, taking into account the dealership's facility, the individual salesperson, the paperwork and finance process, vehicle delivery process and price as criteria for their overall satisfaction. Jaguar dealers scored particularly high in the delivery, paperwork and price categories by properly explaining their vehicle's features, delivering the vehicles in excellent condition and offering good value compared to its competitors.

Not surprisingly, premium brands scored highest on the list, with HUMMER, Lexus, Cadillac and Mercedes joining Jaguar in the top five. More surprisingly, however, is that Asian brands scored particularly low in the study. Along with Chrysler LLC brands Dodge and Jeep, Mazda, Nissan and Mitsubishi were among the bottom five, with Honda, Toyota, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki and Hyundai also coming in below the industry average. Overall, however, overall customer satisfaction in the dealership experience rose again this year, indicating a concerted effort by automakers to make their customers happy right out of the gate. As well they should be, as JD Power reports that customers faced with an unsatisfactory sales experience are three times less likely to service their new car at the dealership where it was purchased and are likely to dissuade an average of six people from buying their new car there. For more details, check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading Jaguar tops JD Power customer sales satisfaction survey

Jaguar tops JD Power customer sales satisfaction survey originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

J.D. Power warns global auto market may "outright collapse" in 2009

Michael Harley — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Plants/Manufacturing

J.D. Power and Associates, the influential industry tracking firm, warned that the global auto market may "outright collapse" due to the lack of available credit and the general global economic conditions in 2009. According to the company, credit market restructuring, fewer leasing options, and declining owner equity are adding additional stress to an already burdened market. Don't turn to the automotive markets in China, Europe, or India either -- they are expected to slow next year as well. Much of the domestic sales decline is attributed to consumers delaying vehicle purchases (their studies indicate people are keeping their vehicles four months longer in 2008, compared to 2007). Other contributing factors are the drop in leasing activity, and the loss of fleet sales (down to 2.8 million from 3.3 million last year). While the automotive sales decline over the summer made this a buyer's market, willing consumers who venture into showrooms today are finding dealerships eager to sell, but banks aversive about lending.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

J.D. Power warns global auto market may "outright collapse" in 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lexus leads J.D. Power dependability for 14th straight year

John Neff — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Maintenance

Click above for results 2008 J.D. Power Dependability Study

J.D. Power and Associates has just released its 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study that attempts to measure vehicle quality throughout the first three years of owning a vehicle, and for the 14th year in a row Lexus leads all manufacturers with a rating of just 120 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). This year's runner up, surprisingly, is Mercury, though it's a distant second at 151 PP100. Cadillac (155 PP100), Toyota (159 PP100) and Acura (160 PP100) round out the top five spots for brands. Lexus also had the most segment leaders with six vehicles leading their respective category, while Toyota tacked on another five. The study also says that long-term vehicle quality has also improved 5% across the industry in 2008, with the industry average dropping 10 PP100 down to 206 this year.

The Vehicle Dependability Study is based on surveys taken of 52,000 original owners of 2005 model year vehicles. Take whatever stock you will in it, as some argue that subjectivity can skew the results. For instance, Lexus owners may tend to report that their vehicles are running just fine out of pride and loyalty to their brand. Nevertheless, J.D. Power's complete press release and results for the industry and each segment category can be found after the jump and in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2008 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading Lexus leads J.D. Power dependability for 14th straight year

Lexus leads J.D. Power dependability for 14th straight year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

American automakers top JD Power's website rankings

Noah Joseph — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Hummer

J.D. Power & Associates, the biggest name in rating everything related to buying and owning cars, has released its rankings of automaker websites. The ratings, which J.D. Power releases twice a year, takes into account the feedback of more than 11,000 online new car shoppers over the course of two months, basing their scores on user-friendliness, content and overall appearance.

While you'd be forgiven for thinking that Japanese companies would have the best websites in the industry, this half's survey placed American automakers at the top of the list yet again. GM's HUMMER division retained its place at the top, just two points ahead of Lincoln. Kia came in third ahead of Honda and Mazda which tied for fourth, while Jeep, Acura, Lexus, Saab and Toyota rounded out the Top 10. We visit our fair share of automaker websites and have found some to be more intuitive than others. Your thoughts are welcome in the comments below.

[Source: JDPower.com via Winding Road]

American automakers top JD Power's website rankings originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Toyota tops in customer retention

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Toyota

The J.D. Power people compiled their annual list of automaker customer retention rates, and Toyota came out on top, followed closely behind by General Motors. Almost 69-percent of Toyota owners continued their relationship with the manufacturer, compared to GM whose owners returned to the automaker's brands about 65-percent of the time. Honda came in third, with 63.3-percent, while BMW and Ford following closely behind at 56.9-percent and 54.4-percent respectively.

It deserves note, however, that Toyota, GM, Honda, BMW and Ford all benefit from having a number of companies under their corporate umbrella. The way J.D. Power comes to its conclusions is to include each automaker's individual brands within the parent company. So Scion owners are likely to upgrade to a Toyota, Chevy owners might buy a Buick, and MINI buyers might take a step up into the newest 3-series - all of which skews the figures in favor of larger manufacturers.

However, lacking a large brand portfolio is hardly an excuse for Isuzu, who only came away from the survey with a 1.6-percent retention rate.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates via CNNMoney]

REPORT: Toyota tops in customer retention originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Maxiumum Bob Lutz answers questions about GM's reliability

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Etc., Buick, Cadillac, GM, GMC, Lexus, Pontiac, Saturn

The General's chief product guru, Bob Lutz, responded to questions regarding GM's reliability in the company's FastLane Blog's most recent video Q&A chapter. According to Lutz, who cites comparisons to company "H" and company "T" as being perpetual reliability yardsticks, GM has aimed at making every component throughout the automaker's brands "bulletproof," including the engines, transmissions and every mechanical part imaginable.

The move began about four or five years ago, and despite high ratings in J.D. Power and Associates initial quality reports, Lutz explains that all the money spent was in an effort to "shoot for infinite life," as opposed to what Lutz calls, "100,000-mile bogies."

Lutz goes on to recount his aim of making Buick the American equivalent of Lexus, which was just confirmed with the recent release of J.D. Power and Associates long-term reliability ratings. Buick sat pretty, right next to Lexus. Mission accomplished Bob. Congrats.

[Source: GM FastLane Blog]

Continue reading VIDEO: Maxiumum Bob Lutz answers questions about GM's reliability

VIDEO: Maxiumum Bob Lutz answers questions about GM's reliability originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Asia auto sales set to eclipse Europe by 2009

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:32:00 EST

Filed under: China, Etc., Europe

A J.D. Power and Associates study reveals that before the end of the decade, vehicle sales in the Asia Pacific region will surpass those in the European arena - the largest market in the world.

Although the report is nothing surprising considering the booming market in China and the surrounding economies, the figures are astounding. Projected auto sales in Europe through the end of the year will amount to 21.5 million, while sales in the Asia-Pacific realm will wind up around 19.2 million. However, by 2009, our neighbors to the west (or east, depending on your perspective) will be buying up over 23 million vehicles, compared to Europe, whose sales are projected to be around 22.7 million.

Investment opportunities are abound, so place your bets now and it's likely that you won't be disappointed.

The full report, complete with pretty charts, is available by clicking the "Read" link below.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Asia auto sales set to eclipse Europe by 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

J.D. Power Report: Jaguar satisfies the customers it has left

John Neff — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Jaguar

You have to hand it to the folks at Jaguar. In the face of sales dwindling to almost nothing, its dealers and service staff manage to still do their jobs well and delight their customers. In the 2007 Customer Service Index Study released by J.D. Power and Associates today, Jaguar was rated number one in customer service, scoring 925 out of 1,000.

Adding ammo to the argument that domestic automakers are making a comeback in significant areas like customer service, the top five spots in this year's 2007 CSI Study are occupied by automakers from the U.S.A., not counting Lexus, which tied for third place with Cadillac. Buick came in second, while Mercury and Saturn earned the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

One interesting finding of the study was that Toyota earned a relatively low score of 858 out of 1,000, which was only good enough for a three-way tie for 22nd place with Ford and Chrysler. All three were below the industry average of 876 points out of 1,000. While Ford and Chrysler placing so low could be explained by a number of factors, including the general feeling of malaise among their respective workforces in the face of each company's financial troubles, Toyota's placement might be explained by the fact it just doesn't have enough service centers to adequately meet the demands of its ever growing customer base. Ford, at least, can be happy with the fact that today's news may have increased the value of Jaguar, which is up for sale, by at least $50 or so.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

J.D. Power Report: Jaguar satisfies the customers it has left originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford dominates J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study

John Neff — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:54:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Ford

Hot on the heels of the 2007 Strategic Vision Total Quality Awards, J.D. Power and Associates has released its 2007 Initial Quality Study. You'll no doubt be hearing about how well Ford has done in this year's IQS, as J.D. Power reports the Blue Oval has garnered five top model segment awards, more than any other automaker. Those models include the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and the Mazda MX-5.

Indeed, Ford did very well this year, with the Lincoln brand improving from 12th place to 3rd, Mercury from 17th to 8th and Ford jumping from 16th to 10th. We take umbrage, however, with J.D. Power choosing to include the Mazda MX-5 in Ford's list of segment leaders. Ford owns a controlling 33% stake in Mazda, but doesn't include the Japanese brand's sales among its own at the end of the month, and neither does the Japanese-built MX-5 share its plaform with any other Ford models. And, while rattling off how well each Ford brand ranked, J.D. Power doesn't mention that Mazda ranked 35th, second to last ahead of Land Rover, another Ford brand. Still, even without including the MX-5, Ford's four segment leaders is still more than any other automaker. Mercedes-Benz and Toyota each had three.

J.D. Power also gives out Assembly Plant Awards, and in a surprising twist of fate, Ford's Wixom assembly plant that shut its doors forever this past week became the first North American assembly plant to earn the Platinum Plant Quality award for producing vehicles with the fewest defects. We suppose that means 2007 Lincoln Town Car owners are in for some trouble-free times with their cars.

You can check out the complete rankings in the gallery below and read the official press release from J.D. Power and Associates after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power & Associates]

Gallery: JD Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study

Continue reading Ford dominates J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study

Ford dominates J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jaguar continues to round up awards, ranks highest in J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: Jaguar

The Jaguar brand earned German motoring magazine Auto Zeitung's top quality award. The Jaguar XK has earned "Car of the Year" and "Luxury Car of the Year" honors at the 2006 UK TV People Awards, the title of "Scottish Car of the Year" by The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, and the Recommended 2007 Award in the Premium Sporty/Performance Car category by Consumer Guide. Now comes word that J.D. Power and Associates just found Jaguar at the top of the heap in Sales Satisfaction for a 3rd consecutive year. That's a lot of accolades for a relatively small manufacturer, and it illustrates perfectly how awards and high sales don't always go hand in hand.

But let's take a look at this newest award. The J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is the one that focuses on the purchase experience. Jaguar ranked highest again, besting Cadillac by 21 points. In the process, Jaguar received the highest score ever recorded in the study. Well, at least since it was redesigned five years ago. Although the whole industry showed improvement this year, the study found that buyers are more likely than ever to walk when they receive bad service. So even if the product is good, dealers need to be on their best behavior. There's a chart that shows where every brand landed after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power]

Continue reading Jaguar continues to round up awards, ranks highest in J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction

Jaguar continues to round up awards, ranks highest in J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

J.D. Power says Lexus, Buick and Cadillac serving up satisfaction

John Neff — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Etc., Buick, Cadillac, Lexus

J.D. Power and Associates has released the results of its 2006 Customer Service Index Study that measures which brands have the best service departments. Not surprisingly, Lexus nabbed the top spot with a CSI score of 912. Whoa, but there's Buick right behind it with a score of 911, followed by Cadillac with 909. The bottom of the list is occupied by Isuzu with a score of 781, some 29 points below Volkswagen's 810. Of note: six out of the top ten service departments came from domestic brands.

The Customer Service Index Study measures quality of service in the areas of service initiation, service adviser, in-dealership experience, service delivery, service quality and user-friendly service. Survey responses were gathered from 79,580 owners of model year 2003 through 2005 vehicles.

(Follow the jump for the complete list)

[Source: Automotive News]

Continue reading J.D. Power says Lexus, Buick and Cadillac serving up satisfaction

J.D. Power says Lexus, Buick and Cadillac serving up satisfaction originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jul 2006 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments