Satisfaction level dips for new car owners: JD Power study

New owners find more problems with their cars than a year ago, especially those related to fuel consumption, according to JD Power Asia-Pacific 2004 India Initial Quality Study (IQS) released today.

"Initial quality (within 2-6 months of ownership) in the automotive industry in India has declined since 2003, due largely to an increase in problems with excessive fuel consumption reported by new-vehicle owners," a release issued by JD Power Asia-Pacific said.

Based on evaluations from 3,788 new vehicle owners of 31 different models representing 12 manufacturers, the study says that there were 192 problems per 100 cars reported in 2004 as against 193 in 2003.

"The increase in the number of customers reporting a problem with their vehicle's fuel consumption is not surprising, given the sharp increase in fuel prices in India," said Mohit Arora, manager at JD Power Asia-Pacific.

"As fuel costs account for more than 85 per cent of the total operating cost of a vehicle, customers today expect better fuel economy from their new vehicles," he said.

When asked if rising fuel prices were impacting customer expectations all over the Asia-Pacific region, Arora said, it was more pronounced in developing countries where excessive fuel consumption is being reported among the top five problems faced by car owners.

"As many as six of the nine categories studied by JD Power in this study are directly linked to fuel prices," he added.

While Maruti Alto has topped the premium compact car segment in initial quality measured by problems per 100 vehicles, Maruti Esteem is on the top in the entry level midsize car segment, Honda City leads the midsize car segment, Toyota Corolla leads the premium midsize car segment and Toyota Qualis tops the MUV/ SUV segment.

The study has named the Fiat Palio as the most improved model in the industry in terms of initial quality.