Bangkok--26 Dec--Jigsaw Communications
J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports:
Overall New-Vehicle Appeal of Passenger Cars Improves in Thailand,While Appeal of Pickup Trucks Declines
Fuel Economy Becomes Increasingly Important to Overall SatisfactionWith New-Vehicle Design and Performance
Overall new-vehicle appeal of passenger cars and utility vehicles hasimproved, compared with 2010, while appeal of pickup trucks has declined, according to the J.D. Power AsiaPacific 2011 Thailand Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM released today.
Now in its ninth year, the APEAL Study is an owner-reported measure of what gratifies owners in Thailandabout their new vehicle’s performance and design during the first two to six months of ownership. The studyexamines nearly 100 attributes covering 10 vehicle categories: exterior; interior; storage and space; audio/entertainment/ navigation; seats; HVAC; driving dynamics; engine/ transmission; visibility and driving safety;and fuel economy. APEAL Study performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale, witha higher score indicating higher satisfaction.
Overall new-vehicle appeal averages 884 in 2011, a two-point decline from 2010. Satisfaction has decreasedin most of the 10 vehicle categories, with improvements occurring only in seats (by one point from 2010) andaudio/ entertainment/ navigation (by 22 points). Audio/ entertainment/ navigation is the only category thatimproves among passenger car, pickup and utility vehicle models.
The study finds that the importance of fuel economy to overall satisfaction has increased considerably,particularly among owners of passenger cars and utility vehicles. Among owners of passenger cars, theimportance of vehicle exterior has also increased. However, the visibility and driving safety categorycontinues to have the greatest influence on overall vehicle appeal, with a relative importance weight ofapproximately 20 percent.
“Passenger cars that are powered by alternative energy sources or new fuel technologies—such as eco-car,hybrid or CNG vehicles—are quickly gaining popularity in Thailand,” said Loic Pean, senior manager atJ.D. Power Asia Pacific, Thailand. “While pickup trucks remain widely sought after, the satisfaction gapbetween passenger cars and pickup trucks—in which pickup trucks have historically had higher levels ofsatisfaction—has decreased. This shift toward passenger cars is also reflected in new-vehicle sales; The unitsof passenger cars and pickups sold in Thailand in 2011 are nearly equal.”
Model Results by SegmentModels from five different brands receive awards in 2011. Nissan and Toyota receive two awards each, whileChevrolet, Mazda and Mitsubishi each receive one award.
In the entry midsize car segment, the Mazda2 and Nissan Tiida rank highest in a tie (894 each). The NissanTiida ranks highest in the segment for a second consecutive year. The Honda Jazz (888) ranks third in thesegment.
In the midsize car segment, the newly launched Toyota Prius (904) ranks highest. The Chevrolet Cruze, whichreplaces the Optra, ranks second in the segment with a score of 897. The Honda Civic and Mazda3 rank thirdin the segment, in a tie (890 each).
In the premium midsize segment, the Toyota Camry Hybrid ranks highest for a second consecutive year witha score of 919. The Toyota Camry ranks second in the segment with a score of 908, followed by the HondaAccord (902).
Among sport utility vehicles, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (909) ranks highest. The Honda CR-V and IsuzuMU-7 closely follow in the rankings, in a tie (904 each).In the pickup extended cab segment, the Chevrolet Colorado (909) ranks highest, followed closely by theMazda BT-50 Hi-Racer (907). The Nissan Frontier Navara Calibre (891) ranks third in the segment.
In the pickup double cab segment, the Nissan Frontier Navara Calibre (895) ranks highest, followed by theMitsubishi Triton Plus, Toyota Hilux Vigo and Toyota Hilux Vigo Prerunner, in a three-way tie (889 each).
Additional Industry Findings
The study finds that high levels of satisfaction with new-vehicle design and performance have a strongpositive effect on both owner advocacy and loyalty. Among owners of vehicle models with APEAL scoresequal to or higher than industry average, 75 percent say they “definitely would” recommend their model. Thisfigure declines to 41 percent among owners of vehicle models with APEAL scores below industry average.
Similarly, among owners with above-average levels of satisfaction, 53 percent say they “definitely would”repurchase their make. In comparison, only 19 percent of owners with below-average satisfaction say the same.
“New-vehicle appeal performance is largely dependent upon the capacity of manufacturers to innovate andimprove their vehicles in critical aspects such as usability, comfort, performance and safety, which drivecustomer excitement and satisfaction,” said Pean. “The automotive market in Thailand is growing, with anincreasing number of models to choose from, so innovation and improvement of vehicle models is critical toincreasing both consumer interest and positive word of mouth.”
The 2011 Thailand APEAL Study is based on evaluations from 4,248 owners who purchased their newvehicle between October 2010 and June 2011. The study includes 64 different passenger car, pickup truck andutility vehicle models covering 13 different makes. The study was fielded between April and September 2011.
About J.D. Power Asia Pacific
J.D. Power Asia Pacific has offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok that conductcustomer satisfaction research and provide performance analytics services in the automotive, informationtechnology and finance industries. Together, the five offices bring the language of customer satisfaction toconsumers and businesses in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand andVietnam. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internetat www.jdpower.com. Media e-mail contact:
[email protected].
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing informationservices company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performanceimprovement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfactionmeasurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is abusiness unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies:McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education servicesworldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&PCapital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of$6.2 billion in 2010, the Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
Media Relations Contacts:
XingTi Liu; J.D. Power Asia Pacific; 08-Shenton Way, #44-02/03/04; Singapore, 068811; Phone +65-
67338980;
[email protected]
John Tews; Director, Media Relations; J.D. Power and Associates; 5435 Corporate Drive, Suite 300; Troy, MI,48098 U.S.A.; 001 248-312-4119;
[email protected]
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the expressprior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate