Surveys and Studies

Publisher Peter Brown honored

2:46 pm U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
J.D. Power and Associates President Finbarr O'Neill, right, presents Power's President's Award to Peter Brown, publisher and editorial director of Automotive News, during the 2013 Automotive Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York last week. Brown, who joined Automotive News as editor in 1989, will retire at the end of April.... Read More »

 

Tire study: Replacement rate runs higher for run-flats

1:36 pm U.S. ET | March 29, 2013
Run-flat tires are far more likely than conventional tires to need replacement because of a flat or blowout, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates.... Read More »

 

GMC tops volume brands in dealer service satisfaction, Power says

1:15 pm U.S. ET | March 13, 2013
Three General Motors brands, led by GMC, ranked among the top five volume makes for customer satisfaction with the dealership service department, based on an annual J.D. Power and Associates survey released today. Overall, customer satisfaction with dealership service departments is rising as automakers and stores spend more to improve the customer service experience, according to J.D. Power's 2013 U.S. Customer Service Index.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

F&I survey gives all dealerships a voice

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 13, 2013
It’s March. Time to work on tax returns -- and the annual U.S. Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

J.D. Power results reflect reality

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
Regarding the Feb. 25 letter to the editor "Get more detail on J.D. Power studies": The J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on a sample of more than 37,000 original owners of 3-year-old vehicles.... Read More »

 

Study: Customers turn to social media for service

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
Mastering social media is getting tougher for auto companies and dealers because of shifting consumer expectations. Consumers increasingly want their service questions answered via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and fan sites, a new study by J.D. Power and Associates says.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Get more detail on J.D. Power studies

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
Regarding "Lexus again tops J.D. Power dependability study; Detroit 3 narrow gap," autonews.com, Feb. 13: The average reported in quality surveys shows the gradual (but over time substantial) improvement that is confirmed by casual observation of new and used cars. However, I am skeptical of the brand-level data.... Read More »

 

U.S. auto sales remain robust despite rising fuel prices, looming budget cuts

9:42 am U.S. ET | Feb. 22, 2013
U.S. auto sales in February remain strong despite rising fuel prices and the threat of fresh government spending cuts, several forecasters and analysts say.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Power study finds less lurching in launching

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
One thing you could count on since the dawn of the industry was that new nameplates and redesigned vehicles would have more quality problems than carryover models. But the pattern may be changing, according to J.D. Power's 2013 Vehicle Dependability Study.... Read More »

 

Lexus again tops J.D. Power dependability study; Detroit 3 narrow gap

10:00 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2013
Lexus remains the most dependable vehicle brand after three years of ownership but the Detroit 3 continue to close the gap with foreign rivals, J.D. Power and Associates says. Across the industry, owners of three-year-old 2010 cars and light trucks reported 126 problems per 100 vehicles, an all-time low and a 5 percent improvement from 132 problems per 100 on 2009 models a year ago.... Read More »

 

U.S. sales growth to slow, yield healthy industry results, Power says

9:59 am U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
The double-digit sales increases notched by the U.S. auto industry since 2009 will give way to slower but steady growth through 2015, J.D. Power and Associates predicts. Sales should grow 4 percent this year, to 15.1 million, followed by 4 percent gains in each of the next two years, Power says. The market research firm says growth is happening the right way, with automakers building to demand and dealers' profitability improving.... Read More »

 

New-vehicle shoppers look at more models before buying, study says

2:55 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 29, 2013
New-vehicle shoppers are considering more models before buying, and fuel economy remains the most influential factor in a purchase decision, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study. New-vehicle shoppers consider an average of 3.3 vehicles, J.D. Power’s 2013 Avoider Study says, up from 3.1 in last year’s study and 2.9 in 2010.... Read More »

 

Plan kicks CSI into cyber era

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
Hyundai is trying to bring the venerable written CSI survey into the age of the cloud, Twitter and Facebook. The brand has devised a new method, using e-mail and three-day turnarounds, to change the way it determines customer satisfaction.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

Satisfaction surveys: Timing is everything

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
Now may be the perfect time to replace or at least radically overhaul the traditional Customer Satisfaction Index. Millions of customers who haven't bought new cars or trucks in several years are heading back to dealerships as part of the industry sales surge. And those customers have different wants and needs than they did the last time they bought new vehicles.... Read More »

 

Vehicle navigation systems frustrate more car owners, study says

10:54 am U.S. ET | Jan. 22, 2013
Owners' satisfaction with their new vehicles' navigation systems declined in 2012 as complex menu systems, voice-control commands and entering destinations frustrated users, according to J.D. Power and Associates.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Dealerships can make or break auto lender, factory reputations

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 12, 2012
J.D. Power and Associates has reaffirmed that the dealership F&I experience has a big effect on what customers think of the factory and the lender that finances the deal.... Read More »

 

Lexus, Mini are tops in sales satisfaction again, Power survey shows

1:00 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 28, 2012
Consumers are increasingly satisfied with the auto-buying experience, with Lexus repeating as the top-rated luxury brand and Mini again pacing mass-market brands in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Sales Satisfaction Index Study released today. Mini topped the mass-market brand list for a third straight year with a 712 score. Buick was No. 2 and GMC was third as GM placed all three of its mass-market brands in the top five. Fiat was No. 4 and Subaru tied with Chevrolet for fifth.... Read More »

 

Post-Sandy demand to boost November auto sales, Toyota says

9:22 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 27, 2012
Toyota's top U.S. sales executive said consumers purchasing new vehicles to replace those lost during Superstorm Sandy will mean strong November U.S. auto sales. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, November U.S. sales will be between 14.8 million and 15.2 million new vehicles, Jim Lentz, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said Tuesday.... Read More »

 

GUEST COMMENTARY

Does Beijing need to rethink its auto policy?

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 21, 2012
John C. Humphrey, J.D. Power’s global auto chief, writes: China's automotive industry faces two critical challenges: substantial overcapacity and a massive proliferation of automotive companies and brands. Both challenges are structural but self-inflicted.... Read More »

 

China car market to grow 8% on small-city demand, McKinsey says

Nov. 21, 2012 06:01 CET
China's passenger-vehicle sales will expand by an average 8 percent a year to reach 22 million in 2020, driven by demand for sport-utility vehicles and rising incomes in smaller cities, according to a report from McKinsey & Co.... Read More »

 

Lexus tops J.D. Power's China vehicle quality study

Nov. 1, 2012 14:09 CET
International luxury brands continued to dominate J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for China this year. Lexus earned the top ranking with only 54 problems reported per 100 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, BMW AG and Audi AG ranked second, third and fourth.... Read More »

 

Study: Mobile-friendly Web sites are crucial

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 29, 2012
More than half of consumers who use smartphones to research a vehicle before buying do so while at a dealership, J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Automotive Mobile Site Study found.... Read More »

 

October U.S. sales predicted to rise 11% with 14.8M annual rate

3:01 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 25, 2012
Light-vehicle sales in the United States will rise 11 percent to 1.13 million units in October from a year earlier, J.D. Power and Associates predicted today. October's seasonally adjusted annual selling rate is expected to be 14.8 million, down slightly from September's 14.9 million rate.... Read More »

 

A mixed bag of benefits

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 18, 2012
Employees at the 100 Best Dealerships To Work For gave their employers high marks for pay and benefits. And they should. For example, 98 of those 100 dealerships offer some form of retirement savings plan, according to a survey of those employers. But that was a rare case of near-unanimity among the 100 Best Dealerships. The survey of those 100 dealerships found wide variations in what benefits they offer to their employees.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Conventional wisdom, unconventional advice

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 17, 2012
I deal with reputable carmakers, retailers and auto lenders nearly all the time, so sometimes what passes for “conventional wisdom” about car dealerships and auto finance comes as a shock. While I was researching a story recently, somebody who ought to know better told me the conventional wisdom is “you should never get financing at the dealership.”... Read More »