Interiors APEAL to new car buyers, says J D Power

New-vehicle satisfaction is increasingly being driven by vehicle interiors, says the J D Power Asia Pacific 2012 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study released on December 21. Now in its 14th year, this study is an owner-reported measure of what satisfies vehicle owners as regards the design, features, layout and performance of their new vehicle during the first two months of ownership.

The JD Power study measures satisfaction across 10 performance categories: vehicle exterior; vehicle interior; storage and space; audio/ entertainment/ navigation; seats; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); driving dynamics; engine/ transmission; visibility and driving safety; and fuel economy. Overall APEAL performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction.

The inside story

The study finds that during the past four years, the impact of the vehicle interior on overall satisfaction has increased consistently, particularly in the two fastest-growing vehicle segments —small car (which includes entry compact, compact and premium compact cars) and utility (which includes MUV/ MPVs, SUVs and vans). However, visibility and driving safety, followed by fuel economy, continue to be the leading drivers of satisfaction among new-vehicle owners in India. The interior factor has experienced a 28-point improvement compared with 2009, and an 8-point improvement over 2011.

“To improve the quality and aesthetics of their models, automakers have made significant efforts and investments to enhance the overall design and quality of the vehicle interior, even in the small car segment,” said Mohit Arora, executive director, J D Power Asia Pacific. “This is evident in the newly launched models, as well as the refreshed models that debuted in 2012. Both newly launched and refreshed models perform 17 points higher in the interior factor compared with other models.”

Overall improvement across categories

The overall APEAL score in 2012 averages 836, which is a seven-point increase from 2011. The industry improves across all 10 categories, similar to 2011, with the largest improvements in fuel economy and vehicle interior. According to the survey, satisfaction is higher among owners of diesel-powered vehicles than among owners of petrol-powered vehicles. Moreover, the gap in satisfaction scores between owners of diesel and petrol vehicles has changed significantly during the past four years.

In 2012, the APEAL score for diesel vehicles is 22 points higher than for petrol vehicles, while in 2009 the score for petrol vehicles was 3 points higher than that for diesel vehicles. Further, diesel vehicles achieve an average APEAL score of 839 for fuel economy in 2012, which is 24 index points higher than for petrol vehicles.

“The fuel price gap is driving demand for diesel vehicles in India and has made petrol vehicle owners increasingly wary of the amount they spend to run their vehicle,” said Arora. “This is reflected in their overall level of satisfaction as well, since they seem more critical of various aspects of the vehicle, such as fuel economy.”

The Chevrolet Spark and Maruti Estilo rank highest in a tie in the compact car segment with a score of 837 each. The Spark has scored particularly well in the audio/ entertainment/ navigation and driving dynamics categories, while the Estilo performs particularly well in seats.

The Swift Dzire ranks highest in the entry midsize car segment for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 841. The SX4 and the Nissan Sunny rank highest in a tie in the midsize car segment with 853 points each. Both models have scored well in the storage and space and HVAC categories. While the SX4 sales have fallen in the current year as against last year, clearly there is something that buyers appreciate in this segment. The Sunny has completed a year with close to 30,000 units sold that that would be a huge boost for Nissan whose other offerings have by and large had a lukewarm reception. The Honda Jazz ranks highest in the premium compact car segment with 866 index points and performs well across all 10 categories. Toyota’s Innova led the UV segments for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 872, while the Fortuner topped the SUV segment with a score of 877, which is the highest APEAL score in the study.

The 2012 India APEAL Study surveyed over 8,000 owners who purchased a new vehicle between November 2011 and July 2012. Field studies were conducted between May and September 2012 in 25 cities across India.