J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Visteon and Panasonic/SANYO Rank Highest in Quality Among Automotive Audio Systems
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2005 -- Visteon Corporation and Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America/SANYO Automotive U.S.A., Inc. rank highest in quality among factory-installed automotive audio systems, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Audio Quality Report(SM) released today.
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The study measures consumer experiences with the quality, design, and features of automotive audio systems supplied in new vehicles. Audio system manufacturers are ranked based on a problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) score in two segments: AM/FM/single CD players and AM/FM/multi-CD changers. A lower PP100 score indicates higher quality.
Visteon ranks highest in quality in the AM/FM/single CD player segment. With 3.3 PP100, Visteon shows improved quality in three of the five receiver/playback-related areas, including: "CD player won't load CD," "sound system controls," and "CD player jumps/skips." SANYO and Siemens VDO Automotive follow Visteon in the rankings with 4.5 PP100, and 5.3 PP100, respectively. The segment average is 6.1 PP100.
"In general, a large and diverse portfolio of products can make the process of ensuring consistent audio quality more difficult," said Allison LaDuc, manager of research projects at J.D. Power and Associates. "Visteon has consistently been a top performer in audio system quality, despite the breadth of their products and services."
Under a non-competitive, split-sourcing arrangement, Panasonic and SANYO rank highest in the AM/FM/multi CD changer segment, recording 3.1 PP100. The two suppliers combine efforts on several Mazda models, with Panasonic supplying the CD-changer component and SANYO supplying the AM/FM tuner. Systems produced by Panasonic/SANYO experience relatively few problems in the areas of "CD player jumps/skips," "CD player won't eject" and "sound system controls." Following Panasonic/SANYO in the segment are Visteon and Panasonic, recording 4.3 PP100 and 4.6 PP100, respectively. The segment average is 6.7 PP100.
Satellite radios and single and multi CD systems are increasingly being equipped in new vehicles. Satellite radio penetration has increased 6 percent from 2004, and now represents 17 percent of the market. Additionally, multi-CD-changer systems currently represent 45 percent of the market-up from 39 percent from 2004.
"Consumer interest in satellite radio systems continues to increase, and we expect significantly more models to offer the feature either as standard equipment or as an option in the future," said LaDuc. "With technologies emerging in navigation systems, rear-seat entertainment and audio systems, consumers are going to have more choices than ever before in their audio system options."
The 2005 Audio Quality Study is based on responses from 115,026 owners of new 2005-2006 model year cars and light-duty trucks.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education and BusinessWeek. The Corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts: John Tews Michael Greywitt Director, Media Relations Director, Media Relations Troy, Mich. Westlake Village, Calif. (248) 312-4119 (805) 418-8526 john.tews@jdpa.com michael.greywitt@jdpa.com
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