Filed under: Etc.
Why No One Quality Report Tells The Whole Story
There's no question that fuel economy has become a critical consideration for most folks looking to buy a new car. But quality remains one of the single most significant factors in closing the deal.Quality remains one of the most significant factors for folks buying a new car.
Once upon a time, word of mouth was the only way to differentiate between one brand and another, an important yet oftentimes unreliable approach. Then, back in the 1970s, a one-time Ford analyst by the name of J. David Power revolutionized the industry with his first quantitative studies of vehicle quality and reliability. Today, J.D. Power and Associates is the quality field heavyweight, with all sorts of wannabes chasing for a piece of its multi-million-dollar consulting business.
Earlier this month, Power released its 26th annual Initial Quality Study, perhaps the single-most widely quoted survey of its kind, which tallies up the results of a lengthy questionnaire filled out by tens of thousands of recent vehicle buyers. To understand the significance of the IQS, consider that Ford held a separate news conference a day earlier to address the likelihood of its downward slide in the survey. Makers who did well blitzed the media with news releases trumpeting their performance.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.Continue reading What's the right way to read an automotive quality report?
What's the right way to read an automotive quality report? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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