While diesel vehicle sales in India have increased over the past five years quality has also improved as the number of problems new-vehicle owners are reporting with their diesel vehicles have decreased significantly, according to the J.D. Power 2014 India Initial Quality Study (IQS) Study.
The study, now in its 18th year, measures problems owners experience with their new vehicle during the first two to six months of ownership and examines more than 200 problem symptoms covering eight vehicle categories (listed in order of frequency of reported problems): engine and transmission; vehicle exterior; driving experience; HVAC; features, controls and displays; vehicle interior; seats; and audio, entertainment and navigation. All problems are summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lower PP100 scores indicate a lower rate of problem incidence and higher initial quality.
Diesel vehicle sales in India have increased by 16 percent in 2014, compared with 2010, while initial quality has improved as the number of problems with diesel vehicles have decreased to 96 PP100 in 2014 from 148 PP100 in 2010.
- The entry compact segment improves by 48 PP100 in 2014, compared with 2013, while the MUV/ MPV segment improves by 25 PP100 and the SUV segment improves 20 PP100.
- The number of reported problems among new-vehicle owners who receive an explanation of their vehicle’s operation features at the time of purchase is 94 PP100, compared with 183 PP100 among those who do not receive an explanation.
- Among owners who say they have experienced fewer problems than expected, 79 percent indicate they intend to retain their current vehicles for five years or longer. In contrast, only 58 percent of owners who say they have experienced more problems than expected intend to retain their vehicles for the same period.
- Vehicle owners who experience fewer problems than expected are nearly twice as likely to recommend their model to family and friends as owners who experience more problems than expected.
- New-vehicle owners tolerate a 2 to 3 kilometers per liter (KMPL) variance from what their dealer communicated they should expect from their vehicle. Vehicle owners might allow 2 to 3 KMPL less than what their dealer communicated but when the variation exceeds that range they tend to indicate a fuel consumption problem.