Posted on February 3, 2012, at 3:57 pm
 Leslie Cocco The global automotive industry, including North America, is better able to keep production in line with demand than in the past, according to John Humphrey, senior vice president and general manager of J.D. Power’s global auto operations. John told participants at our 2012 International Automotive Roundtable today that J.D. Power is largely bullish about the auto market in the near future, projecting global sales of 79.2 million light vehicles in 2012, and rising to 99 million unit sales in 2015.
Humphrey stated that more than half (55%) of global auto sales in 2015 are projected to be in emerging markets, and he pointed out that drivers of this growth include the return of sub-prime-credit customers to the market, decreasing credit restrictions, and increasing demand.
 John Humphrey Humphrey also said there are risks to this growth: geopolitical tensions in the Mideast Gulf region; the negative impact of the Euro debt crisis; unemployment; the economic slowdown in China; and the lack of infrastructure in emerging markets.
Humphrey also discussed the inevitable change in the market in relation to Gen Y consumers. Changes that he mentioned are technology-driven, and relate to the way that young shoppers expect to do their shopping—online, via mobile, and Apps—and the expectations they have for technology in vehicles. A majority, or 79%, of shoppers are going to third-party sites, rather than OEM or dealer sites, which makes brand management and messaging a challenge, he said. Continue reading ›
Posted on February 3, 2012, at 7:57 am
 Jeremy Bowler Although there was an increase in auto insurance claims in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2011 due to weather-related damage—which led to higher volumes at repair shops and longer repair times—overall customer satisfaction with the claims experience remained stable, according to our latest 2012 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study—Wave 1.
In fact, overall satisfaction with the claims experience averaged 855 (on a 1,000-point Scale) during the fourth quarter of 2011, based on our sample of more than 3,500 insurance customers who filed an auto claim in the past 6 months.* This compares favorably with an average score of 854 in the third quarter and 848 during the second quarter of 2011. Continue reading ›
Posted on February 1, 2012, at 2:43 pm
 Although January often is the weakest sales month of the year in the US auto market, many automakers posted double-digit sales gains over the same month in 2010, indicating a good beginning for 2012. It appears that total light-vehicle sales might rise by more than 11% over January 2011 and that would translate to a 14.1 million-unit seasaonally adjusted selling rate (SAAR), according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive analysis.*
All multi-franchise automakers, except for General Motors, posted increases, as did two of four independents—Mazda and Subaru. Fiat-Chrysler and Volkswagen Groups led the January gains with year-over-year increases of 48% and 44%, respectively. Not only did Chrysler Group LLC report stronger sales for its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands than a year ago, but the company also said it earned a net profit of $183 million in 2011 vs. a loss of $652 million in the prior year.** VW Group sales in January were bolstered by strong demand for the Passat, now built in Tennessee. Among the independents, Mazda was a star with deliveries soaring 68%. Continue reading ›
Posted on February 1, 2012, at 7:16 am
 Grace Hamulic More new-vehicle buyers in the US market replaced and traded in their aging models in 2011 than in 2010, based on a profile of demographic data from retail transactions with vehicle age and trade-in information collected by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN).
More than one-half (52.7%) of mass-market, or non-luxury, new-vehicle transactions in 2011 included a trade-in compared with 49.1% of deals in 2010—a difference of 3.6 percentage points. Our PIN data also indicates that the average age of all trade-ins across the industry rose to 6.2 years on average, from 6.1 years in 2010. Among mass-market trade-ins, the average age rose slightly higher to 6.4 years from 6.2 years in 2010. Slightly less than 40% of new-vehicle transactions included a same-nameplate trade-in in both years. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 30, 2012, at 7:19 am
 Jon Osborn The percentage of new-vehicle buyers in the US market who avoided considering domestic models due to their origin has declined to just 6%—which is a historically low level, according to our 2012 Avoider Study, which includes responses from more than 24,000 owners who registered a new vehicle in May, 2011. At the same time, the study finds that the percentage of buyers who avoided imported models because of their origin has risen to 14% this year.
The lower level of avoidance of US domestic light-vehicle models due to origin reflects a “buy-American” sentiment that surfaced as the economic recession beginning in 2008 led to job losses in the US, which adversely affected major companies, such as the three Detroit automakers. In addition, the quality, dependability and appeal of domestic models has improved during the past several years as well, and this also may be a reason behind declining avoidance of these models. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 30, 2012, at 7:17 am
 Jon Osborn New-vehicle buyers’ perceptions of a vehicle’s reliability have consistently been major reasons for avoiding a particular brand or model, according to J.D. Power research.
Our recent 2012 Avoider Study finds that, among buyers who avoid a specific model due to concerns about quality and reliability, some 43% say they based their avoidance on “the brand’s vehicles, in general, are known to have poor quality/reliability.”
A slightly smaller percentage—38%—based their decision to avoid a brand’s model on ratings and reviews, while an even smaller percentage—14%—relied on prior ownership of that model. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 27, 2012, at 11:46 am
 Acura’s website ranks highest in usefulness in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (MWES)SM—Wave 1. The premium brand website receives a score of 808 (on a 1,000-point scale), and performs particularly well in two of the four index measures: navigation and speed.* Continue reading ›
Posted on January 26, 2012, at 3:47 pm
 Arianne Walker The most useful automotive websites tend to provide users with social media access from a variety of pages, including the home page, model pages, configurator tool and photo gallery, according to results in our 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (MWES)—Wave 1, which is based on evaluations from more than 9,400 shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months.
We see that the widespread usage of social media has created an expectation of constant availability. By integrating links to social media platforms throughout several site features, automotive brand websites enhance convenience for users and also increase the possibility that website users will promote the brand within their social networks. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 25, 2012, at 4:01 pm
 During the first half of January,* U.S. car and light-truck sales were stronger than in the same period of January a year ago, which is good news for the industry following last year’s robust finish, according to J.D. Power’s monthly sales update based on analysis of retail transaction data collected by our Power Information Network® (PIN) with LMC Automotive.
January retail new-vehicle sales are expected to rise 6% from January 2011 and reach 681,000 units, which translates to a seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) of 10.9 million units—well above a 10.3 million-unit pace in January 2011, but below the 11.3 million-unit pace in December 2011. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 23, 2012, at 11:30 am
 Jenny Gu Soaring demand for luxury vehicles in China has seen many premium brands make the country their second home. Land Rover may be the next premium brand to begin local production, following on the path taken by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Even automakers without a strong foothold in China are increasingly eyeing the country as a key engine for future growth.
Localized Production is Key to Success in China Market
Automakers need to localize in order to truly establish themselves in this market. As some global automakers and their local partners are busy ramping up production of localized luxury models, many other foreign carmakers are seeking Chinese partners, as is required by the government, to set up new joint ventures. Lexus, Infiniti and Land Rover are among those considering localization in China in the near future.
Localization made slow progress before 2009. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of luxury models produced in China rose from just eight to nine. However, in 2010, the number of luxury models that were locally produced climbed to 11, and is expected to reach 15 by the end of 2012. By 2015, we expect 22 luxury models to be locally built, which will mean that those models will account for 60% of luxury sales, up from 56% in 2009. Continue reading ›
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