“With recalls more prevalent in the news, you are seeing consumers who are thinking about and wanting to have more safety in their cars”, Renee Stephens, J.D. For instance, owners with blind-spot monitoring and warning systems scored 38 points higher than those without.
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The APEAL study, surveying 84,000 people who have recently bought or leased a new auto, found that new safety features can greatly boost people’s satisfaction with their vehicle.
Mainstream auto brands are improving their scores versus luxury nameplates. Power. “This can go a long way toward generating positive feelings about their vehicle overall”. The brand has a history of average or below-average showings in this study, but is often near the average for non-luxury brands. That, she said, makes the gap in APEAL scores between non-luxury and luxury the narrowest it has been since 2006. The average APEAL score for mainstream brands was 790, versus 841 for premium brands (out of a possible score of 1,000.).
Most brands were clustered in the middle, with a number of Japanese brands falling below the industry average (Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Scion, and Mazda) and some Detroit, Korean, and European brands above the industry average (Kia, Ford, Buick, Ram, GMC, Volkswagen, Hyundai.). This year, the overall APEAL score was 798 in 205, up four points from 2014 in part to automakers’ adding safety technologies to vehicles. For Ford, the improvements were driven by the F-150 pickup and Mustang, 49 and 59-point improvements, respectively. “And being acknowledged by J.D”.
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“We’re proud to receive three APEAL awards in back-to-back years as customers continue to recognize that we’re delivering exciting and appealing vehicles which meet their needs”, Matt Liddane, vice president of quality for FCA North America, said in a statement. “But it is just as important to show what makes them satisfied; what they like, whether styling, features, usability”, she said. Power that weighs new vehicles’ initial appeal to their owners. “What we have found is that appeal index has significant impact on loyalty to the brand over time”.
