Tesla Owners Acknowledge Numerous Quality Issues; Love Their Cars Anyway, J.D. Power Finds

COSTA MESA, Calif., March 21, 2017 -- Problems associated with Tesla Model S and Model X have little influence on the overt affection owners have for these cars and the brand, according to a J.D. Power report released today titled "Tesla: Beyond the Hype."

"Tesla owners see themselves as pioneers who enjoy being early adopters of new technology," said Kathleen Rizk, director, global automotive consulting at J.D. Power. "Spending $100,000 or more on a vehicle that has so many problems usually would have a dramatically negative effect on sales and brand perception. Right now, though, Tesla seems immune from such disenchanted customers."

"Tesla: Beyond the Hype" is a detailed examination of the brand's quality issues, based on multiple focus groups of Tesla owners and an in-depth evaluation of Tesla models against competitive vehicles by automotive research experts at J.D. Power.

Historically, small sample size has prevented Tesla from appearing in the annual rankings in both the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS)℠ and the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.℠ This report, however, provides clients with directional data that gives greater insight to Tesla vehicle quality and owners' emotional attachment.

Consumers who opt for Tesla's next model, the Model 3, are expected to be less forgiving of quality issues. "When consumers buy a mass-market car priced around $35,000 that will be their primary mode of transportation, the degree of expectation will increase immensely," Rizk said. "We've seen that with other well-liked brands, whether or not it involves an electric vehicle."

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2017044.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Media Relations Contact
Geno Effler; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com

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SOURCE J.D. Power