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1998 Satisfaction Ratings For All-New Models Soar

3 June 1998

1998 Satisfaction Ratings For All-New Models Soar According to AutoPacific Study

    SANTA ANA, Calif, June 3 -- Analysis released today by
automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. shows all-new vehicle models
posting the largest gains in the company's 1998 Vehicle Satisfaction Score(R)
(VSS) study.  Four of this year's ten most improved models are all-new for
1998 -- a percentage far greater than the actual share of all-new vehicles in
the market.  Led by models like the Chevrolet Corvette, Buick Century,
Cadillac Seville and Honda Accord, all-new vehicles continue to offer
carmakers unrivaled access to consumers' hearts.  This despite the fact that
new models often have the largest number of initial quality problems.
    It's all what AutoPacific analysts term the "power of new."  According to
the firm, American consumers increasingly focus on substantial product
changes, rather than initial quality.  This creates a tremendous opportunity
for carmakers launching new vehicles, even if they experience early production
hiccups.  "The consumer cares less every year about what broke, leaked or fell
off," says AutoPacific president George Peterson.  Instead, he argues, "they
require true progress in areas like performance and comfort, areas that
require innovation, not mere polishing."  Such progress is most often, and
easily, made with all-new vehicles.
    The impact of an all-new vehicle on consumer perception, however, can work
in two directions.  Big changes can move a vehicle as quickly down, as up, the
charts.  Lincoln's all-new 1998 Town Car plummeted 33 places, from first to
thirty-fourth place in AutoPacific's VSS.  While declining to reveal the
reasons behind that particular car's fall from consumer grace, Peterson does
offer a general observation on new vehicle design.  "It's about more than
answering questions," he says, "it's about answering the right questions."
    AutoPacific's VSS scores are released without awards or advertising fees.
These objective ratings, by nearly 26,000 consumers, of overall vehicle
satisfaction are provided at no charge to corporate clients of AutoPacific's
annual Research Suite(R).