The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Fall 2010 ALG Perceived Quality Study Demonstrates Rebound of Toyota's Quality Image




SEE ALSO: Toyota Buyers Guide


SANTA BARBARA, CA - November 1, 2010: ALG, a subsidiary of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc., announced that Toyota's Perceived Quality Score (PQS) registered a sharp 5% increase in the last six months, with the carmaker bouncing back to second place from sixth among mainstream brands in ALG's Fall 2010 Perceived Quality Study. Dodge Cars (up 4%) and Jeep (up 3%) were the other two mainstream brands that showed the most improvement over their Spring 2010 scores. Among luxury brands, Jaguar notched a 5% gain, although its PQS remains relatively low at 62.4.

With a PQS of 81.4 and a 10.7 point lead over Toyota (70.7), Honda continued its dominance over all other mainstream brands. The third, fourth and fifth-place brands - Ford Trucks (69.9), Nissan (69.0) and Subaru (68.9) - are tightly bunched behind Toyota.

Mercedes-Benz again was the top-ranked luxury brand with a PQS of 83.9, slightly increasing its lead over runner-up Lexus in the last six months, which remained steady with an 81.9 PQS. BMW (81.6), Porsche (80.2) and Acura (77.4) rounded out the top five in the luxury category.

"The significant recovery for Toyota, which saw a dramatic 20% PQS drop in Spring 2010 due to quality issues and massive recalls, can be attributed to marketing around vehicle safety, strong customer loyalty and good service," said Eric Lyman, OEM Practice Director at ALG. "At Jaguar, recent design transitions have fostered a stronger emotional connection with the consumer, leading to an improvement in the perception of the brand."

Since the inception of ALG's PQS in the Spring of 2008, the biggest gains have been achieved by Ford Cars, Ford Trucks, Hyundai, Kia and Jaguar, respectively. The biggest declines in PQS over that period have been registered by Toyota, Saturn, Saab, Lexus and Scion, respectively.

ALG's PQS measures consumers' perceptions and beliefs about the quality of automobile brands in the U.S. market. A negative perception about a brand can prevent shopping and consideration of a brand's complete model lineup. Alternatively, a positive belief about a brand can sometimes overcome poor quality. Working with survey partner Zogby International, ALG calculates the scores based on a proprietary rating scale derived from surveys of car and truck owners, which then are used to determine the relative positions of mainstream and luxury brands. The complete list with scores is available at http://www.alg.com/pdf/pqs_2010_fall.pdf.

About ALG
Based in Santa Barbara, California, ALG is a provider of data and consulting services to the automotive industry. ALG publishes the "Automotive Lease Guide" - the standard for Residual Value projections in North America, and has been forecasting automotive residual values for over 45 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. ALG is a part of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. .