Porsche and Dongfeng Yueda Kia rank first in the attractiveness index among luxury car brands and mainstream car brands respectively
Shanghai, September 12, 2019 — According to the 2019 China Automotive Performance, Operation and Design Research SM (APEAL, also known as the Automotive Attraction Index Research) released today by JD Power (Jundi), a world-leading consumer insight and market research organization, The higher the attractiveness index of the brand, the better the sales and market performance.
As an industry benchmark in the Automobile Attraction Index, the JD Power China Automotive Performance, Operation and Design Study (APEAL) measures car owners’ satisfaction with vehicle design, content, layout and performance two to six months after purchasing a new vehicle, from pedal to The power feeling when the accelerator is released, and the comfort experience of sitting in the driving seat are all within the scope of the study. This year is the 17th year that JD Power has conducted research on the automobile attractiveness index in China. In 2019, the overall attractiveness index of China’s auto industry was 712 points (the research adopts a 1,000-point scale), continuing the trend of continuous improvement in satisfaction since 2017.
The research shows that among the 67 brands, there are 25 brands with a charm index score higher than the industry average, and the combined market share of these brands has increased by 3.5 percentage points compared with 2018; another 42 brands with a charm index score lower than the industry average , the total market share decreased by 3.5 percentage points compared with 2018.
Wang Qinghua, research director of JD Power China, said: “The overall retail sales of new cars in 2019 are not optimistic. How to survive the cold winter of the auto market is the primary issue for the entire industry. The positive correlation between the car attractiveness index and sales shows that it is necessary to fully consider the needs of consumers. Experience demand, improve the performance of the APEAL index, and improve the charm of the product will have a long-term impact on the increase in car sales.”
Other findings from the study:
· The gap between self-owned brands and mainstream international brands is the smallest in ten years: The charm index gap between self-owned brands (693 points) and mainstream international brands (714 points) has narrowed year by year since 2009. The gap between the two has narrowed from 70 points in 2009 to 21 points this year.
Further improvement in fuel economy: In the top ten vehicle performance categories, the fuel economy index score increased by 9 points (718 points) compared with last year. Compared with 2018, in addition to the stable performance of European brands, the performance of self-owned brands, Korean brands, American brands and Japanese brands has increased to varying degrees in terms of fuel economy. Among them, Korean brands improved the most (+25 points), higher than the industry average of 36 points.
· Consumers born in the 80s and 90s pay more attention to personal sensory experience: the shape/appearance of the front of the car is one of the key elements that consumers of all ages care about. Consumers born in the 80s and 90s pay great attention to the comfort of the driver’s seat, and consumers born in the 1985s have higher requirements for speaker sound quality than consumers in other age groups.
Top-Rated Makes and Models
Porsche (784) topped the luxury car segment, with BMW (760) and Lexus (755) coming in second and third, respectively. Dongfeng Yueda Kia (747 points) ranked first in the mainstream car segment, MINI (737 points) ranked second, Beijing Hyundai and Dongfeng Nissan (734 points) tied for third.
A total of 18 models from 17 market segments won awards in the 2019 China Automotive Performance, Operation and Design Study.
· The GAC Trumpchi brand won awards at the model level for GAC Trumpchi GM8, GAC Trumpchi GS7 and GAC Trumpchi GS3.
· Among the BMW brands, the BMW 1 Series and BMW X1 won awards at the model level.
· The Dongfeng Yueda Kia brand won awards at the model level for Kia K2 and Kia Caesor.
· The Porsche brand received awards at the model level for the Porsche Cayenne and the Porsche Macan.
· Nissan Murano and Nissan Bluebird won awards at the model level for the Dongfeng Nissan brand.
· Hyundai Festa and Hyundai Yena won awards at the model level for the Beijing Hyundai brand.
Other models that received awards in their respective market segments were Wuling Hongguang S/S1, Skoda Karoq, Lexus ES, Volkswagen Touran L and Mazda 6 Atez.
China Automotive Performance, Operation and Design Study (APEAL) measures car owners’ feelings and satisfaction with the charm of car products around various aspects of new cars, involving 10 vehicle performance categories (body appearance, body interior, storage and space, audio/communication/ 77 elements of entertainment/navigation, seats, air conditioning system, drivability, engine/transmission system, visibility and driving safety, and fuel economy).
The 2019 study is based on reviews from 33,468 car owners who purchased a new vehicle between May 2018 and March 2019. The study covered 266 vehicle models from 67 brands. Data collection was conducted in 75 major Chinese cities between November 2018 and May 2019.
Note: Four charts are attached
