Luxury vehicles dominate total quality survey

[Hurricane]

Luxury vehicles dominate total quality survey

By Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT — Luxury brands once again dominated an annual U.S. automobile quality survey taken this year by a California research company, but total quality dropped for the first time in four years, the company said.

BMW led all brands in the survey by San Diego-based Strategic Vision, followed closely by Hummer, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, Land Rover, Cadillac, Lincoln and Volkswagen.

VW, which includes Audi, led all corporations with a total quality index score of 892 out of 1,000 possible points. General Motors (GM) finished second as a corporation at 867, followed by Ford Motor (F) and Honda (HMC), which tied for third at 862. Toyota (TM) finished fifth, at the industry average of 860.

VW, GM and Ford were the only corporations showing improvement in this year's survey.

To get the rankings, Strategic Vision calculated the index based on survey questions about reliability, vehicle characteristics, dealership experience, styling, interior and exterior design and their overall perception of initial quality, said Alexander Edwards, president of the company's automotive division.

Each of the people answering the survey had to have owned their vehicles for two to three months so they could adequately judge them, Edwards said.

Edwards said overall industry quality dropped from 864 points in 2007 to 860 this year, the first drop since the 2004 survey.

The decline came because some vehicles fell short of customers' technology expectations, he said. For example, many thought their cars should have a simple, low-cost navigation system or keyless entry, he said. But companies were reluctant to add cost to cars, fearing the predicted industry downturn in 2008, Edwards said.

"Our position here with the technology is they didn't take things as far as they needed to go," he said.

Ford had five vehicles with the highest scores in the 19 market segments measured by Strategic Vision, while Toyota had four. The two companies tied in one other category.

Toyota's Yaris subcompact, 4Runner midsize sport-utility vehicle and Sequoia large SUV were winners, as was the Scion xB small multifunction vehicle. Toyota's Lexus RX 350 tied with Ford's Land Rover LR2 in the near-luxury SUV category.

As a corporation, Honda had the lowest percentage of people who reported problems with their vehicles at 19%, followed closely by Ford at 20% and Toyota at 21. Nissan and BMW tied at 24.

Strategic Vision said it developed the rankings from surveys taken of 20,655 people who bought new cars in September, October and November of last year. About 200,000 surveys were mailed out, and Edwards said the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 scale points.

More here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...y-survey_N.htm

[zete]

So this survey shows Toyota slipping and VW showing a huge surprise at #1.

If JD Powers shows a similar slip for Toyota I wonder what type of panic will ensue in Toyota HQ? Their entire claim to fame is their legendary quality. If they're no longer #1 they become a huge target for ads proclaiming just that fact. And they can't even claim they're #2 but instead can only claim they're average.

[Hurricane]

Buyers rated the following vehicles tops in their segments:

Segment Winner(s) TQI Score
Small Car Toyota Yaris 860

Small Multi-Function Scion xB 876

Medium Car Volkswagen Jetta 911

Large Car Mercury Sable 877

Small Specialty Under $25,000 Volvo C30 T5 Hatchback 908

Near Luxury Car Chrysler 300C 927

Luxury Car Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan* 950

Convertibles Under $30,000 Ford Mustang Convertible 896

Convertibles Over $30,000 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible*
Mercedes-Benz SL 940
939

Minivan Honda Odyssey 864

Small SUV Hyundai Santa Fe* 866

Medium Crossover Honda Ridgeline 878

Medium SUV Toyota 4Runner 891

Large SUV Toyota Sequoia 897

Near Luxury SUV Lexus RX 350*
Land Rover LR2 913
912

Luxury SUV BMW X5 907

Standard Pick-Up Honda Ridgeline* 878

Large Pickup Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 880
880

Heavy Duty Pickup Ford F-250/350* 863

*2007 Total Quality Award™ winner

http://www.strategicvision.com/press_release.php?pr=31

[Hurricane]

Mercedes, Honda and Chevrolet brands each had two leaders: Mercedes leading with the S-Class and SL, Honda with the Odyssey and Ridgeline, and Chevrolet with the Corvette Convertible and a tie with itself in full size trucks between the Avalanche and Silverado. From three leads last year, Hyundai took the lead in only one segment this year with its Santa Fe in one of the most competitive automotive segments, the Smaller SUVs. The Volkswagen Jetta, Chrysler 300C and BMW X5 were each TQI leaders. Also worthy of mention is the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu, now second in the highly competitive Medium Car segment.

Interesting!

[Hurricane]

2008 Total Quality Award Winners


Medium Car Segment
Rank Vehicle TQI Score
1 Volkswagen Jetta 911
2 Chevrolet Malibu 899
3 Ford Fusion 874
3 Toyota Camry Hybrid 874
5 Honda Accord Sedan 873
6 Subaru Impreza 866
Segment Average: 861
7 Mercury Milan 856
8 Nissan Altima 853
9 Toyota Prius 852
9 Hyundai Sonata 852
11 Subaru Legacy 846
12 Kia Optima 843
13 Saturn Aura 842
13 Chrysler Sebring Sedan 842
15 Dodge Avenger 841
16 Toyota Camry 836

http://www.strategicvision.com/auto_...ard=TQA&seg=25

[Hurricane]

2008 Total Quality Award Winners


Luxury SUV Segment
Rank Vehicle TQI Score
1 BMW X5 907
Segment Average: 900
2 Mercedes-Benz ML 900
3 Hummer H3 899
4 Mercedes-Benz GL 895
5 Lincoln Navigator 894
6 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 893
7 Lexus GX 470 880

http://www.strategicvision.com/auto_...ard=TQA&seg=23

[Hurricane]

2008 Total Quality Award Winners


Near Luxury SUV Segment
Rank Vehicle TQI Score
1 Lexus RX 350 913
1 Land Rover LR2 912
3 Buick Enclave 895
4 Lincoln MKX 891
Segment Average: 889
5 Cadillac SRX 880
6 Volvo XC90 878
7 Infiniti FX 877
8 Acura MDX 873
8 BMW X3 873
10 Acura RDX 866
11 Volkswagen Touareg 845

http://www.strategicvision.com/auto_...ard=TQA&seg=22

[tgagneguam]

Originally Posted by zete

So this survey shows Toyota slipping and VW showing a huge surprise at #1.

If JD Powers shows a similar slip for Toyota I wonder what type of panic will ensue in Toyota HQ? Their entire claim to fame is their legendary quality. If they're no longer #1 they become a huge target for ads proclaiming just that fact. And they can't even claim they're #2 but instead can only claim they're average.

I wasn't so certain how to interpret the results of this study, zete. After all, total quality in this survey is measured by some seemingly non-quality measures: reliability, vehicle characteristics, dealership experience, styling, interior and exterior design and their overall perception of initial quality, said Alexander Edwards, president of the company's automotive division. While it would seem that certain Asian brands fell overall, which might be cause to celebrate, actual problems per vehicle-on which Toyota and Honda have built their reputations-still seemed to be populated by the same names:

As a corporation, Honda had the lowest percentage of people who reported problems with their vehicles at 19%, followed closely by Ford at 20% and Toyota at 21. Nissan and BMW tied at 24.

Nice to see Ford right near the top. And it's equally surprising to find BMW in the top five.

I also find joy in the Malibu's showing.

[tgagneguam]

One thing about these studies in general, be they from J.D. Power or Strategic Vision, is that they don't define level of significance. As one example:

Edwards said overall industry quality dropped from 864 points in 2007 to 860 this year, the first drop since the 2004 survey.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that that difference is not statistically significant and that that would make the above statement technically incorrect. Again, it would be useful for some statistical reference. It would make interpreting differences between the Buick Enclave at 895 and the Lexus RX at 913 more meaningful. With those scores, I'd be willing to bet the difference is not significant, either, and it would suggest the Enclave scores just as high as the Lexus, which is very believable.

[zete]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

I wasn't so certain how to interpret the results of this study, zete. After all, total quality in this survey is measured by some seemingly non-quality measures: reliability, vehicle characteristics, dealership experience, styling, interior and exterior design and their overall perception of initial quality, said Alexander Edwards, president of the company's automotive division. While it would seem that certain Asian brands fell overall, which might be cause to celebrate, actual problems per vehicle-on which Toyota and Honda have built their reputations-still seemed to be populated by the same names:

True enough.

Some other posts show the Malibu doing well, and in the end it's these 3rd party "proofs" that consumers use to change their perception. Having Toyota only score Average and having GM score #2 means a lot to some folks way of viewing the world. Same with the positioning of the Malibu vs. the Camry.

Folks are smart enough to look beyond the fact this is a "quality survey" and GM outshone Toyota.

Nice to see Ford right near the top. And it's equally surprising to find BMW in the top five.

I also find joy in the Malibu's showing.

I'm surprised by the BMW, but I do think some of that has to do with the fact they seem to also be rating perception.

But Ford's showing is nice. I'm sure we'll see that bandied about in ads in no time.

[TruckMan]

I'm not trying to start anything with this comment, but how much credibility can you put in a survey of a car that is only a few months old (Malibu). I wouldn't think there are enough Malibus out there with enough miles on them to be considered for this type of survey. I don't know all the facts and criteria of the survey, but this was my initial concern. I would hope there wouldn't be many quality or reliability problems in a <5 month old car.

I hope the Malibu does great, but I just wanted to bring this point into question.

[ksr]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

VW, which includes Audi, led all corporations with a total quality index score of 892 out of 1,000 possible points. General Motors (GM) finished second as a corporation at 867, followed by Ford Motor (F) and Honda (HMC), which tied for third at 862. Toyota (TM) finished fifth, at the industry average of 860.

So GM is second among all makers, ahead of both Honda and Toyota.

I'm sure CR will quickly come out with something to prop up their favorites.

[GMRULES]

2008 Chevrolet Malibu - 899
2008 Ford Fusion - 874
2008 Honda Accord -873
2008 Chevy Impala -856
2008 Toyota Camry -836

[zete]

Originally Posted by TruckMan

I'm not trying to start anything with this comment, but how much credibility can you put in a survey of a car that is only a few months old (Malibu). I wouldn't think there are enough Malibus out there with enough miles on them to be considered for this type of survey. I don't know all the facts and criteria of the survey, but this was my initial concern. I would hope there wouldn't be many quality or reliability problems in a <5 month old car.

I hope the Malibu does great, but I just wanted to bring this point into question.

Initial quality was trumpeted by Toyota in days gone by. Everyone does it.

And a lot of this has to do with perception, which GM is trying to break. Something like this can certainly help. And coming out ahead of Toyota also helps as it shows GM has improved.

[BrickTamland]

They only got a 10% response rate?!