According to Khodrocar, J.D. Power’s 2017 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study has named the most appealing automotive brands for the American customers. For the 13th consecutive year, Porsche was ranked highest in this annual study.
The study examines new vehicle owners’ assessments of the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicle after 90 days of ownership. In general, J.D. Power says, "car owners’ love affair with new vehicles is stronger than ever, as evidenced by a nine-point increase in the APEAL index from last year.”
This year, the industry’s average index increases to 810 points on a 1,000-point scale. The study, now in its 22nd year, is based on responses gathered from February through May 2017.
"Manufacturers are making ever-higher quality vehicles, but this is not coming at the expense of performance, styling, utility or features,” Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive at J.D. Power, commented.
In the overall ranking, Porsche (884 points) is followed by the Genesis (869) premium brand, BMW (855), Audi (854), and Mercedes-Benz (851). Chrysler registered the biggest gain of any brand with 41-percent increase in with 815-point APEAL index. MINI (+30 points), Nissan (+27), and Honda (+25) also record strong improvements.
Interestingly, the average rating for non-premium brands improved by 10 points year over year (804 points), while premium automakers improved by a mere one percent (845 points). Thanks to this, the gap between the two segments has narrowed to an all-time low of 41 points.
"Many automakers are getting better and better at giving consumers what they want in a vehicle,” Sargent added. "The industry is doing a very good job of creating vehicles customers like across every segment, and the APEAL study identifies why this is. One clear reason is that non-premium vehicles are increasingly offering technology and safety features found in premium vehicles.”
Source: motor1.com