J.D. Power has announced the results of its 2017 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. In this year’s study, the industry average APEAL index increases to 810 points, with Porsche, Genesis and BMW taking the top spots in the APEAL study.
“Many automakers are getting better and better at giving consumers what they want in a vehicle,” said Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive at J.D. Power. “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.”
Check Out: The Top 10 automakers in J.D. Power’s 2017 Initial Quality Study
Some of the study’s key findings include:
1. Premium and mass market brands are getting better: The average APEAL index score for the non-premium segment (804) improves by 10 points year over year, while the premium segment (845) improves by just 1 point. The gap between the two segments has narrowed to an all-time low of 41 points.
2. Some vehicles deliver outstanding levels of APEAL as well as good results in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study: Eight models receiving APEAL segment awards also receive awards in the J.D. Power 2017 IQS: BMW 2 Series; Chrysler Pacifica; Kia Cadenza; Kia Niro; Kia Soul; MINI Cooper; Porsche 911; and Porsche Macan. The all-new Genesis brand ranks second in both APEAL and IQS this year, while Porsche ranks top in APEAL and third in IQS.
3. Highest Ranked: Porsche ranks highest in overall APEAL for the 13th consecutive year, with an index score of 884. Genesis ranks second overall (869) followed by BMW (855), Audi (854) and Mercedes-Benz (851).
4. Most Improved: Chrysler is the most improved brand (815), with a 41-point improvement from 2016. Other brands with strong improvements include MINI (+30 points), Nissan (+27) and Honda (+25).
“Manufacturers are making ever-higher quality vehicles, but this is not coming at the expense of performance, styling, utility or features,” Sargent added.
Source: J.D. Power
