Date:16/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/12/16/stories/2004121602410200.htm

Back Owner delight with new models has improved: J.D. Power

Our Bureau

New Delhi , Dec. 15

OWNER delight with new vehicles in India improved for the sixth consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2004 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM released today.

The industry improved 15 index points over 2003 to 780 index points out of a maximum 1,000 and seven out of the 11 nameplates measured in the study experienced improvements in their APEAL scores over 2003.

The study, now in its seventh year, measured owner delight with the design, content, layout and performance of new vehicles across eight specific categories during the first two to six months of ownership. The categories studied were engine/transmission; ride, handling and braking; comfort/convenience; seats; cockpit/instrument panel; heating, ventilation and cooling; sound system; and styling/exterior.

"India continues to experience a steady flow of new and redesigned model launches, which has a positive impact on consumer appeal. The new styling and features of a model launch is a manufacturer's biggest opportunity in the model's lifecycle to excite owners. With more than one-third of all models included in the 2004 study being new or redesigned, consumers are responding with high levels of satisfaction with the vehicles they purchased," said Mr Mohit Arora, India Country Manager, J.D. Power Asia Pacific, in a statement here.

The redesigned Maruti Wagon R ranked highest in the premium compact segment, displacing four-time top-ranked Hyundai Santro, which now ranks second. The redesigned Maruti Zen followed closely in third place.

Following its segment-leading performance in the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2004 India Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), the Maruti Esteem ranked highest in the APEAL study in the entry mid-size segment, with an index score of 806. The Ford Ikon and Tata Indigo followed the Esteem, respectively.

The new Honda City ranked highest in the mid-size segment, followed by Maruti Baleno and Hyundai Accent, respectively. The Toyota Corolla ranked highest in the premium mid-size segment and registers the highest APEAL score in the industry. The recently launched Chevrolet Optra ranked second in the segment, followed by the Skoda Octavia.

The Tata Safari improved its score by 28 points over 2003 to rank highest in the MUV/SUV segment. Toyota Qualis and Mahindra Bolero, respectively, follow the Safari. The study finds that the newly launched SUV models present significantly better APEAL performances than existing models.

The 2004 India APEAL Study is based on evaluations from 3,788 owners of personal-use vehicles covering 12 makes and 31 models, and includes responses from customers who purchased their vehicles between January 2004 and July 2004.

Established in 1990, J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries.