Total Quality Report - Volkswagen Has Best Total Quality, Toyota Fewest Problems, See Complete List Of Winners
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San Diego August 27, 2012; Strategic
Vision announces results of its 2012 Total Quality Index™ (TQI)
study. With the industry best of only 17% of owners reporting problems,
Toyota Motor Sales corporation had the lowest reported problems, resulting
in Strategic Vision's lowest “Problem Impact Measure” (PIM)
score of 4.29, a Strategic Vision metric that examines the report of the
problem, the nature (serious, moderate or minor) of the problem, and the
nature of the problem unresolved by dealer. Although this is good for
Toyota, PIM is only a subset of “Total Quality.” With near
universal acceptance that manufacturers are running the tightest
“quality race” ever, customers are increasingly defining
“quality” holistically and using Total Quality in their
decisions. Total Quality measures how closely the experience of quality
matches the explicit desires of the customer. In terms of Total Quality,
Volkswagen Group of America is the leading corporation, followed by a tie
between Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Group.
“This is really great news for all those corporations, but the key to
success and sales will be products that satisfy the customer's increasingly
insatiable need for innovation, and the complete picture of Quality,”
says Strategic Vision President, Alexander Edwards. “We point out
Total Quality vs. ‘Fewest Problems’ for a reason. When
measuring quality, the complete experience must be part of the calculation
and include all the perceptions that influence how people make their
decision. For instance, even when ‘just' counting problems,
perception is involved. One buyer may overlook what another may report.
With Total Quality, we factor in all the perceptions that are proven to
create the impression of Total Quality; this is ultimately how people think
about vehicles and spend money,” concludes Alexander Edwards.
Volkswagen Group of America's Total Quality strength centers on segment
leaders like Golf, Eos, Tiguan, as well Audi segment leaders A4 and A8.
Ford Motor Company was able to finish second (tied with Chrysler Group)
with many strong segment rankings, and leadership from Flex, F-150 and
F-250/350. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the most improved
corporation—Chrysler Group. “They are definitely beginning to
turn things around and the Fiat 500 (Small Car Segment winner) is just one
example. Attributes like Fiat 500's Exterior Styling and Workmanship, and
even Sound Systems, all become part of the Total Quality equation when one
explicitly captures the heart and mind of how customer's think when
spending $20,000 to $100,000 on a vehicle,” adds Darrel Edwards,
Ph.D. and Strategic Vision Chairman/Founder. “Of course some brands
do not compete at the corporate level. BMW and Mercedes continue to do
well, but monitor the pulse of America, and be sure to recognize the
current trend of ‘smart' luxury,” opines Dr. Edwards.
Other Total Quality winners from Chrysler Group were the Dodge Charger and
redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee. “Full-line corporations like Toyota
and American Honda Motor are as strong as ever in terms of percentages of
people reporting problems. It's just that others are doing such a great job
also, and they have excelled in providing the kind of innovation that
influences perceptions of quality,” says Strategic Vision Vice
President Christopher Chaney. “Look at the Chevrolet Volt,”
Chaney continues. “It may not be a sales leader, but those who
purchased it were heavily influenced by a number of quality cues that made
it a segment leader in Total Quality.”
General Motors provided traditional leadership strength with the Chevrolet
Corvette Coupe, which tied with the BMW 1-Series Coupe, among Premium
Coupes. When it came to Premium Convertible/Roadsters and Luxury Utilities,
BMW Z4 Roadster and X6 were the respective segment leaders. The new MINI
Cooper Coupe had one of the highest Total Quality scores in the industry
and, of course, was the Specialty Coupe Segment winner. Similar to Toyota,
the Honda brand maintains a good overall Problem Impact Measure position
and led three segments with Accord Crosstour, Odyssey and [five-time]
Standard Truck Segment winner Ridgeline.
The real message is that innovation is connected to perceptions of quality.
If innovation is strong, especially such that customers can say they
“love it,” when referring to the product, then perceptions of
quality will be greatly (positively) influenced. Strategic Vision research
has proven that those who recognize and acknowledge innovation (most new
car buyers) will purchase, and not just be driven by counting problems.
With all manufacturers being in such close traditional quality proximity
(counting problems only), there is little question that those car
manufacturers who offer rich and impactful, intuitive, motivationally
designed cars will have the advantage going into the future. A near perfect
example is the Land Rover Evoque, with its incredibly motivational styling
and impactful interior experience, that rates number one among all
Near-Luxury Utilities. Even in the Large Utility Segment, buyers appreciate
the Total Quality experience and rated Nissan Armada the winner.
Strategic Vision has presented Total Quality Awards™ annually since
1995. Based on Strategic Vision's quantitative “ValueCentered®”
NVES study, the Total Quality Index was calculated from 45,390 buyers who
purchased 2012 models during September to December 2011. The following list
contains the number one ranked vehicles in Total Quality in their segments
as rated by new vehicle buyers:
| Segment | Winner(s) | TQI Score |
| Small Car | Fiat 500 Hatchback | 869 |
| Small Multi-Function | Volkswagen Golf | 874 |
| Mid-Size Car | Chevrolet Volt | 913 |
| Mid-Size Multi-Function | Honda Accord Crosstour | 879 |
| Large Car | Dodge Charger | 911 |
| Near-Luxury Car | Audi A4 Sedan | 917 |
| Luxury Car | Audi A8 Sedan | 942 |
| Specialty Coupe | Mini Cooper Coupe | 926 |
| Premium Coupe | BMW 1-Series Coupe Chevrolet Corvette Coupe | 922 921 |
| Convertible | Volkswagen Eos | 902 |
| Premium Convertible/Roadster | BMW Z4 Roadster | 938 |
| Minivan | Honda Odyssey | 872 |
| Entry Utility | Volkswagen Tiguan | 877 |
| Mid-Size Crossover Utility | Ford Flex | 888 |
| Mid-Size Traditional Utility | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 888 |
| Large Utility | Nissan Armada | 900 |
| Near-Luxury Utility | Land Rover Evoque 5-Door | 928 |
| Luxury Utility | BMW X6 | 936 |
| Standard Pickup | Honda Ridgeline | 863 |
| Full-Size Pickup | Ford F-150 | 902 |
| Heavy-Duty Pickup | Ford F-250/350 | 874 |
Strategic Vision is a research-based consultancy with over forty years of experience in understanding the consumers' and constituents' decision-making systems for a variety of Fortune 100 clients, including most automotive manufacturers. Its unique expertise is in identifying consumers' comprehensive motivational hierarchies, including the product attributes, personal benefits, value/emotions and images that drive perceptions and behaviors. J. Susan Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, coined the phrase “True Innovators” and we measure this construct in the detailed Total Quality Index report. The ValueCentered® psychology and research methods were defined by Dr. Darrel Edwards in 1968, and enhanced by co-founders J. Susan Johnson (1972) and Sharon Shedroff (1975). For further information, contact Alexander Edwards, Christopher Chaney and Molly Sirota at (858) 576-7141 or visit www.strategicvision.com.