Surveys and Studies

Denso invites automakers, rival suppliers to share driver stress research

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 9, 2012
Denso wants to form a research group with automakers and suppliers to study driver stress. Denso has studied people's physiological reactions to using infotainment devices while driving. Now, the company wants to share its research to help develop biometric yardsticks to help determine whether infotainment systems are user-friendly.... Read More »

 

Surprise: Older drivers do well with speech controls

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 9, 2012
This summer, Agero Inc., a Medford, Mass., telematics provider, tested the ability of motorists 65 to 75 years old to operate a voice-activated navigation system while driving. "They did very well," said Thomas Schalk, Agero's vice president of voice technology.... Read More »

 

SEPTEMBER U.S. AUTO SALES

Monthly sales projected to rise 11% in September

3:00 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 20, 2012
Auto sales in September are expected to increase 11 percent from a year ago, keeping the industry on roughly the same pace as in August, J.D. Power and Associates said today.... Read More »

 

Audi retains JD Power sales satisfaction crown in China

Aug. 23, 2012 11:35 CET
Audi ranks highest for the third consecutive year in J.D. Power's 2012 China Sales Satisfaction Index Study.... Read More »

 

Johnson Controls' joint venture shares top rank in seating quality survey, J.D. Power says

Aug. 17, 2012 06:01 CET
For the third year in a row, Avanzar Interior Technologies earned a top spot in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Seat Supplier Quality Rankings. Avanzar, a joint venture between Johnson Controls and SAT Auto Technologies, tied with TS Tech for the top rating, the firm reported Thursday.... Read More »

 

Johnson Controls' joint venture shares top rank in seating quality survey, J.D. Power says

4:15 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 16, 2012
For the third year in a row, Avanzar Interior Technologies earned a top spot in the JD Power and Associates 2012 Seat Supplier Quality Rankings. Avanzar, a joint venture between Johnson Controls and SAT Auto Technologies, tied with TS Tech for the top rating, the firm reported today.... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Why auto quality ratings don't mean as much

4:44 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012
Telling a good car from a bad one is not as easy as it used to be. But that does not mean each one is necessarily as good as the rest. “None of them are really awful anymore,” Jim Hall, managing director of the consulting firm 2953 Analytics, said here at the 2012 Management Briefing Seminars on Wednesday. “It's not like you're going to get it and the fender's going to fall off in a year.”... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Forecasts drop for 2012, 2013 U.S. auto sales

11:09 am U.S. ET | Aug. 7, 2012
For much of this year, gains in United States auto sales have been a bright spot in an economy that remains weighed down by joblessness, a still-sluggish housing market and global uncertainty. Now, those outside factors have started to drag on the auto industry, likely slowing the rate that sales will grow through 2013, analysts said today.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

The small stand tall in auto satisfaction study

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 30, 2012
Downsizing used to mean downgrading for new-vehicle buyers. But according to J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, car buyers are choosing smaller vehicles and liking them as much as or more than the bigger models they used to drive.... Read More »

 

July U.S. auto sales will rise 20%, match June rate, J.D. Power says

10:25 am U.S. ET | July 26, 2012
July auto sales will rise about 20 percent from last year but be roughly the same as last month, at 14.1 million on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said today.... Read More »

 

Three Chevys capture top ratings in J.D. Power study

10:00 am U.S. ET | July 25, 2012
Three Chevrolet models captured top rankings in their segment, the most of any brand in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study released today. The study named three Chevys best in segment in Power's 21 categories: the Sonic for subcompact cars, Volt for compact cars and Avalanche for large pickup.... Read More »

 

JESSE SNYDER

Diving deep into Power’s soft data

3:36 pm U.S. ET | July 25, 2012
J.D. Power and Associates’ annual Initial Quality Study always gets more attention than the APEAL Study, even though the data are drawn from the same massive pool of respondents. But I like ’em both, especially when the unexpected pops up.... Read More »

 

The quality killer: Voice technology

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 25, 2012
Cars and trucks have never been built better, but frustration with audio, infotainment and navigation features on new vehicles has never been worse. That's the big takeaway from the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. For the first time, complaints about such features surpassed those about engines and transmissions as the top category.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

Getting technology right

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 25, 2012
The customer is always right. Automakers, suppliers and dealers all need to keep repeating that adage while reviewing J.D. Power and Associates' latest Initial Quality Study. The results will remind them that when it comes to car buyers there are a lot of different customers and a lot of different "right" views.... Read More »

 

June sales pace forecast to rise to 13.9M from May, J.D. Power-LMC says

6:01 pm U.S. ET | June 21, 2012
U.S. auto sales will rise 16 percent this month compared with a year ago, and the annual sales pace will rise slightly from May to around 13.9 million, a key forecasting group said. Vehicle sales in June will reach nearly 1.3 million, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Of the total sales, 21 percent will be to fleet customers, such as rental car companies.... Read More »

 

Jaguar, Porsche and Cadillac gain; Chrysler, Ford slip as industry quality jumps, J.D. Power says

1:00 pm U.S. ET | June 20, 2012
Jaguar, Porsche and Cadillac posted the biggest improvements in new-vehicle quality for the 2012 model year, while the Mini, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Subaru brands fell back in a year that saw overall industry quality advance nearly 5 percent, J.D. Power and Associates said today. Lexus topped J.D. Power's 2012 U.S. Initial Quality Study for the second year in a row with 73 problems reported per 100 models tracked, the same as in 2011.... Read More »

 

J.D. Power raises 2012 auto sales outlook to 14.5M

12:46 pm U.S. ET | May 24, 2012
U.S. new-car sales could hit 14.5 million this year, an increase of 13 percent from 2011, as an improving economy makes consumers more confident about buying cars, industry consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said today.... Read More »

 

Execs upbeat on industry's comeback, study says

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2012
Auto industry executives are bullish on the economic recovery, a survey released today says. Ninety-four percent of automaker executives and 92 percent of supplier executives surveyed said business was "somewhat better" or "much better" than last year, according to the study by international consulting firm Booz.... Read More »

 

Why Hyundai's brand makeover has worked -- and rivals are noticing

2:37 pm U.S. ET | April 9, 2012
Now the world's fifth-biggest carmaker, with affiliate Kia Motors, Hyundai is the envy of global rivals, outgrowing the market during a severe industry downturn by offering stylish models at affordable prices backed by savvy, if sometimes risky, promotions and helped by a cheaper currency.... Read More »

 

NADA, Power team up on dealer data

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 9, 2012
The National Automobile Dealers Association has formed a strategic alliance with J.D. Power and Associates in a step meant to help dealers protect data security while participating in market intelligence research.... Read More »

 

March U.S. auto sales forecast to rise 6% to 14%

10:06 am U.S. ET | March 22, 2012
U.S. new-vehicle sales in March are expected to rise 6 to 14 percent from last year due to strong demand in the retail market, according to reports today. U.S. auto sales topped expectations in January and February, although some analysts and industry executives have said the industry will not recover significantly until U.S. home prices pick up and consumers feel more prosperous.... Read More »

 

Bright hopes for leasing may be hasty

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 19, 2012
Dealers looking for a big increase in leasing this year may be disappointed. Some forecasters see a leasing boom this year and beyond. But recent data from Experian Automotive show lease penetration for new-vehicle volume was flat in the fourth quarter last year. And that, the company says, is where it could stay.... Read More »

 

Lexus, Mini top J.D. Power Customer Service Index study

10:25 am U.S. ET | March 14, 2012
Dealer service departments leave a better impression with customers than their nondealer rivals, and Lexus and Mini continue to do that best, according to a new J.D. Power and Associates study.... Read More »

 

2012 FEBRUARY U.S. AUTO SALES

Chrysler leads Feb. sales gains as industry volume jumps 16%

8:30 am U.S. ET | March 1, 2012
U.S. auto sales led by Chrysler Group surged 16 percent in February, giving the industry its strongest showing in four years in a fresh sign that the recovery is gaining more traction. Total light vehicle sales rose to 1.15 million units as the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate hit 15.1 million. That was the healthiest pace since February 2008, just months before the industry collapse that sent Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy.... Read More »

 

FEBRUARY U.S. AUTO SALES

Sales forecast to reach 14M rate for Feb.

10:39 am U.S. ET | Feb. 23, 2012
Light vehicle sales in the United States are projected to reach an annual selling rate of 14 million this month, J.D. Power and Associates said today as it lifted its forecast for the entire year. That overall seasonally adjusted annual selling rate for light vehicles would fall just behind January's 14.2 million.... Read More »