Better Products, Dealers Lead Increase in Car Buyer Satisfaction
4 May 1998
Better Products, Dealers Lead Increase in Car Buyer Satisfaction
SAN DIEGO, May 4 -- New and improved products and higher
dealership scores led new car buyers to rate their ownership experience better
than last year, according to Strategic Vision.
The San-Diego-based research firm today released its 1998 Total Quality
Index(TM) (TQI) scores, rating new owners' complete experience in buying,
owning and driving their purchases. Based on the responses of more than
32,000 buyers, the following 1998 models topped each segment:
Small Car Volkswagen Golf
Compact Car Chevrolet Malibu
Mid-Size Car Volkswagen Passat
Large Car Mercury Grand Marquis
Sports Car Under $30,000 Pontiac Firebird
Near-Luxury Car Lexus ES 300
Luxury Car BMW 7 Series
Convertibles Under $30,000 Chrysler Sebring
(tie) Volkswagen Cabriolet
Minivans Chrysler Town & Country
Small SUV Subaru Forester
Medium SUV Dodge Durango
Large SUV Ford Expedition
Compact Pickup Ford Ranger
(tie) Nissan Frontier
Full-Size Pickup Dodge Ram
The redesigned Passat helped make Volkswagen the leader in vehicles under
$20,000 (on average). "Reducing the number of defects was a hurdle this
company needed to overcome," said Strategic Vision vice president Daniel
Gorrell. "They're done that and are now moving on to Total Quality." The
VW Golf and VW Cabriolet also led in their segments.
"Fierce competition is pushing manufacturers to design better and better
vehicles and provide more positive dealership experiences just to be
competitive," said Gorrell. "The new car buyer comes out the winner, with
some able to buy vehicles that approach their dream car or truck."
Strategic Vision measures new vehicle quality as consumers define it:
everything involved in buying, owning and driving a new vehicle. Rather than
just rating features, the index measures how they benefit owners.
"Cupholders per se aren't the issue for owners," said Gorrell. "They care
about how convenient and easy to use the vehicle is."
Numerous factors, such as reliability, craftsmanship, ride, power, style,
comfort and dealership are used to calculate the index, as well as the
emotions that drive motivation.
Dr. Darrel Edwards, Strategic Vision president, said, "To truly understand
what's going on for consumers, you have to measure all parts used in making
decisions. Otherwise, it's like measuring the tip of the iceberg and ignoring
what's underwater. And it wasn't the tip that sank the Titanic."
"Emotions are the underwater part of the iceberg that drive the
experience," said Edwards. "They set the priorities. So if you don't measure
and understand those, you won't really know how satisfied buyers are."
Strategic Vision surveyed buyers who purchased their vehicles in October
and November of 1997, at least 90 days after they took ownership. Responses
were calculated into a Total Quality Index to see how well each vehicle
measured up to the buyer's ideal. The best possible score is 1,000.
New models and repeat winners dominate this year's Total Quality
Awards(TM).
Dodge Ram topped the full-size pickup category for the fourth year in a
row. Chrysler Town & Country led the minivan segment for the third
consecutive time. Second-time winners were the Lexus ES300 (near-luxury), BMW
7-Series (luxury), Chrysler Sebring (tie in convertibles under $30,000) and
Ford Expedition (large sport utility vehicles).
New or redesigned models leading their segments were Volkswagen Passat
(mid-size cars), the Pontiac Firebird (sports cars under $30,000), Subaru
Forester (small sport utility vehicles), Dodge Durango (medium sport utility
vehicles) and Ford Ranger / Nissan Frontier (compact pickups).
The Frontier was also the most improved vehicle, with a 10 percent
increase in its TQI score.
Owners rated the winning vehicles highly in the following areas:
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen says "drivers wanted" because this is a driver's car. In
addition to handling and roadability, Golf delivers a strong perception of
reliability and exterior craftsmanship. It offers both fun and control to its
owners, making this a smart choice.
Chevrolet Malibu
As a strong, consistent performer on all fronts, Malibu gives its owners a
sense of security. Owners feel confident and comfortable in a vehicle that
truly meets their needs.
Volkswagen Passat
A driver's car, Passat delivers handling, roadability, ride and control in
a package that scores highly for exterior craftsmanship and style. Strong
feelings of security give drivers permission to have fun.
Mercury Grand Marquis
Buyers find good roadability, handling and ride in Grand Marquis. Good
power and roominess deliver a strong sense of security to its owners.
Pontiac Firebird
Red-hot styling combined with excellent handling and roadability give this
car "driving excitement." Being fun adds to personal satisfaction and pride
of ownership.
Lexus ES 300
A strong, consistent performer on all fronts, ES 300 owners feel a strong
base of security, as well as pride, in a product offering the highest
standards in craftsmanship and reliability.
BMW 7 Series
This is as good as it gets. For the second year, this "king of vehicles"
earned the highest score on the Total Quality Index. Delivering the highest
levels of safety, ride, craftsmanship and roadability, it gives owners a
strong sense of security and esteem.
Chrysler Sebring / Volkswagen Cabriolet
Both are fun to drive and deliver strong personal satisfaction. Sebring
does it with dynamic styling, exterior craftsmanship and handling that gives
its owners a sense of esteem. Cabriolet offers European craftsmanship with
Volkswagen's signature handling, reliability and roadability.
Chrysler Town & Country
Strong in room and capacity, reliability and ride, Town & Country makes
its owners feel proud and comfortable and clearly meets their needs.
Subaru Forester
This car-truck hybrid delivers reliability with roadability, handling and
power. Its owners feel confident and in control in a vehicle they see as fun
to drive and a smart choice.
Dodge Durango
Powerful "Dodge Ram" styling combined with exterior craftsmanship,
reliability, thoughtful design, power and handling in a vehicle that is
clearly fun to drive, delivering security and esteem to its owners in a big
way.
Ford Expedition
Strong in all areas, Expedition delivers the exterior craftsmanship,
room/capacity, roadability and safety that makes its owners feel safe and in
control.
Ford Ranger / Nissan Frontier
Good reliability, style and exterior craftsmanship give Ranger owners a
sense of security, esteem and control in a pickup that is fun to drive.
Frontier gets good marks for reliability, superior handling and roadability.
Its owners feel proud, confident and in control in a truck that meets their
needs.
Dodge Ram
A four-time winner, Ram goes to the head of the class for dynamite styling
with strong perceived reliability and roadability. Its owners feel a great
sense of pride with a large dose of fun and security. Ram clearly meets their
needs.
Because satisfaction with the dealer relationship and with perceived value
color the entire ownership experience, Strategic Vision also calculates
indices in those areas.
The Dealer Total Quality Index measures sales and service experiences and
will be released in June.
The Total Value Index(TM) considers all economic consequences of the
experience, such as warranty, mileage, cost of ownership, durability as well
as the deal, compared to the Total Quality of the vehicle. The index will be
released in September.
This is the fourth year Strategic Vision has measured the complete new
vehicle ownership experience and released the findings of its Total Quality
Index.
The company, founded in 1986, studies decision-making in a variety of
circumstances. In addition to automotive manufacturers, the firm has worked
for American Airlines, Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola and the Conservative
Party of Britain, among others.
Additional information about Strategic Vision and the Total Quality Index
is available at http://www.vision-inc.com.
SOURCE Strategic Vision
