J.D. Power: quality gap narrows between domestic Chinese and global brands
Domestic Chinese automakers are catching up with their global peers on product quality, according to J.D. Power's 2009 China Initial Quality Study released last week.
The study, now in its 10th year, examines problems in quality of design and quality of production, experienced by new-vehicle owners within the first two to six months of ownership. Overall performance is determined by problems experienced per 100 vehicles.
This year's study finds overall new-vehicle initial quality in China averages 178 problems per 100 vehicles in 2009, down by 14 percent from the 207 problems in 2008.
J.D. Power attributes the improvement to the progress made by domestic Chinese brands in vehicle design and production. Initial quality for domestic Chinese brands overall has improved from 318 problems per 100 vehicles in 2008 to an average of 258 problems in 2009.
Consequently, the study finds the gap in initial quality between Chinese domestic and international brands has decreased by more than 240 percent from 396 problems at the inception of the study in 2000 to 116 in 2009.
"Some domestic brands demonstrate particular strengths in certain vehicle segments in the China market such as the compact and mini van categories -- here they strike a good balance between price and quality," said Mei Songlin, general manager of research services at J.D. Power Asia Pacific in a statement.
Models ranking highest in their respective segments covered by the IQS study include:
Compact Segment: Chery QQ3
Premium Compact Segment: Chery QQ6
Entry Midsize Segment: Toyota Yaris
Midsize Segment: Toyota Corolla EX
Lower Premium Midsize Segment: Volkswagen Sagitar
Upper Premium Midsize Segment: Toyota Reiz
Luxury Segment: Audi A6L
SUV Segment: Honda CR-V
MPV Segment: Buick GL8
Minivan Segment: Hafei Minyi
The study finds that problem levels have improved considerably in the engine/transmission, driving experience and vehicle exterior categories. On the other hand, excessive fuel consumption is the most frequently reported problem for 2009. Other frequently reported problems include manual transmission issues/difficulty in getting in gear; wind noise; noisy brakes; engine problems; and fan/blower issues.
The 2009 China Initial Quality Study covers 127 vehicle models from 48 different brands. The study was fielded from April to August 2009 in 28 major cities across China.
