SHANGHAI, Nov. 18, 2015
/PRNewswire/ -- Korea's mass market auto brands Beijing
Hyundai and Dongfeng Yueda Kia earn the highest marks for overall
vehicle appeal among vehicle owners in China, according to the J.D. Power 2015 China
Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL)
Study.SM
The APEAL Study, now in its 13th year, serves as the industry
benchmark for new-vehicle appeal. It measures how gratifying a new
vehicle is to own and drive based on owner evaluations during the
first two-to-six months of ownership.
Following are some of the key findings in this year's study.
- Hyundai and Kia Top the
Charts: Beijing Hyundai achieves the highest score in overall
APEAL among consumers in China,
with a score of 769. Dongfeng Yueda Kia (763) comes in second. Each
brand scores 71 points and 65 points, respectively, above the mass
market segment average.
- China's Domestic Brands Lag
Imports: When broken down by country, Korean brands rank
highest, with a score of 766. Following Korean makes in the
rankings are European (714), U.S. (700) and Japanese (698) brands.
China's domestic brands rank
lowest in overall APEAL (677). There is a 36-point gap in scores
between international (713) and domestic (677) makes.
- Higher Demand for Audio/ Communication/ Entertainment/
Navigation (ACEN) Features: Installation rates for both
Bluetooth technology (50%) and navigation systems (61%) have
increased year over year (10 percentage points and 29 percentage
points, respectively). Notably, the navigation system installation
rate has surpassed that in the United
States (48%). In both China
and the United States, higher
overall APEAL scores are correlated with ACEN features
installation.
"In the Chinese market, the perception of luxury and
reliability, along with the presence of broad technological
capabilities, drives overall customer satisfaction," said Dr.
Mei Songlin, vice president and
managing director at J.D. Power. "Our study shows that there
needs to be an ongoing effort to meet owner expectations with
respect to the availability of the latest in-cabin features without
deviating from the tried-and-true formula of providing excellent
performance of this technology in order to attract and satisfy
new-vehicle buyers."
Individual Model APEAL Scores
Among the 10 model-level segment awards, Beijing Hyundai (Verna,
Mistra, ix25 and ix35) receives four awards. Audi (A6L and Q5)
receives two awards. Four of the highest-ranked models (Hyundai
Verna, Hyundai Mistra, Hyundai ix25 and Porsche Macan) are also award recipients in the
J.D. Power 2015 China Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). In
total, 10 vehicle segments are eligible for awards in the 2015
China APEAL Study.
Models receiving segment awards are:
- Compact: BAIC Senova D20
- Compact Upper: Hyundai Verna
- Midsize Basic: Citroen C-Elysee
- Midsize: Kia K3/K3S
- Midsize Upper Economy: Hyundai Mistra
- Midsize Upper: Toyota Camry Classic
- Midsize Luxury: Audi A6L
- Compact SUV: Hyundai ix25
- Midsize SUV: Hyundai ix35
- Midsize Luxury SUV: Audi Q5 and Porsche
Macan
The 2015 China APEAL Study is based on evaluations from 21,611
owners of new vehicles purchased between October 2014 and June
2015. The study analyzes models in 21 vehicle segments and
includes 270 different passenger-vehicle models from 71 different
brands. The study was fielded from April through August 2015 in 57 major cities across
China. Redesigned for
2015,1 the study also examines 77 attributes across 10
vehicle performance categories: exterior; interior; storage and
space; ACEN; seats; HVAC; driving dynamics; engine/ transmission;
visibility and safety; and fuel economy.
Media Relations Contacts
Michelle Meng; Beijing, China; +86 01 6569 2702;
yutian.meng@jdpa.com
John Tews; Troy, Michigan USA; 001 248 680 6218;
john.tews@jdpa.com
About J.D. Power Asia
Pacific
J.D. Power has offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Malaysia and Bangkok that conduct customer satisfaction
research and provide consulting services in the automotive,
information technology and finance industries in the Asia Pacific region. Together, the six offices
bring the language of customer satisfaction to consumers and
businesses in Australia,
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Information regarding J.D. Power and
its products can be accessed through the Internet at
asean-oceania.jdpower.com.
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules
www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-info
About McGraw Hill Financial www.mhfi.com
1 Due to redesign of the 2015 China APEAL Study,
direct comparisons with previous-year index scores are not
recommended.
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SOURCE J.D. Power