Toyota Leads in Value with 6 Winners According to Strategic Vision
SAN DIEGO--Oct. 1, 2001--Long-term economic benefits plus strong quality in the overall ownership experience made Toyota the big winner on Strategic Vision's 2001 Total Value Index(TM) (TVI), with six of its vehicles (one a tie), leading their segments. The index correlates all long- and short-term economic issues against perceived quality, and is calculated annually by the San Diego-based research firm.Of special interest was Toyota's dominance in truck categories, especially the large SUV and both compact and full-size pick-up categories, long the domain of the domestics. For all three, durability, perceived future trade-in value and reliability were well above the segment average.
Also of note was the strong showing of the Prius, Toyota's electric/gasoline hybrid. Buyers gave it high scores for warranty, technological innovations, fuel economy and economical ownership. "The rest of the story," says Daniel Gorrell, Strategic Vision automotive vice president, "is the satisfaction owners feel in driving an ecologically friendly vehicle that gets good gas mileage without compromising convenience or performance."
Hyundai rose to the number two brand (747) in Total Value behind top scoring Lexus (752). "Hyundai can now legitimately tout its value," says Gorrell, "with a strong ownership experience offered at a great price and with a great warranty." Kia, adding the ten-year warranty of its sister brand, was the most improved.
More than 81,000 buyers rated the following vehicles the best values in their segment:
Small Car Toyota Prius 778
Compact Car Saturn LS Sedan(a) /
Volkswagen Jetta (tie) 751
Mid-Size Car Infiniti G20(a) 780
Larger Car Chrysler LHS 693
Small Specialty
(less than $30,000) Volkswagen New Beetle(a) 782
Mid-Specialty Car Honda Accord Coupe 748
Near-Luxury Car Volvo S60 757
Luxury Car Mercedes Benz E-Class(a) 767
Convertible (less than $30,000) Toyota MR2 Spyder 761
Minivan Honda Odyssey 651
Small SUV Hyundai Santa Fe 753
Mid-Size SUV Land Rover Discovery II /
Toyota 4Runner (tie) 665
Large SUV Toyota Sequoia 698
Luxury SUV Lexus RX 300(a) 757
Compact Pickup Toyota Tacoma(a) 677
Full-Size Pickup Toyota Tundra(a) 689
(a)2000 Total Value Award(TM) winners
Strategic Vision calculates TVI by assessing both short-term economic issues (value for the money, affordability, price/deal offered, technological innovations and standard equipment level) and long-term issues (durability, future trade-in, warranty, mileage, economical to own and reliability). These factor scores are then added to numbers measuring the total perceived ownership experience.
"You have to look at the quality of the overall ownership experience when you measure value," says Gorrell. "Price alone tells you little. Instead, you have to look at what people get for the money. Luxury vehicles, for example, score well in Total Value because of high resale values."
Volkswagen (746) continued to lead both full-line corporations and brands $22,000 - $30,000 (746). The top scoring New Beetle and Jetta (in a tie) both won their segments. Honda was the only other brand with multiple winners in Odyssey and Accord Coupe.
Among domestic manufacturers, the Saturn LS (tie) and Chrysler LHS were the only winners. Saturn (737) was the leading domestic brand, followed by Cadillac (697), Lincoln (690) and Chrysler (684).
"Consumers defined how we structured the calculation of the Total Value Index(TM)," says Dr. Darrel Edwards, Strategic Vision president. "They told us, in sophisticated qualitative interviews, that the whole experience of buying, owning and driving a new vehicle plus the economic considerations determined whether they felt they got their money's worth."
Owners who participated in the study purchased their new vehicles in October, November and December of 2000 and January, February and March of 2001. They had at least 90 days of ownership before they were surveyed. Total Value Award(TM) winners had to be 2001 models.
The top ten overall value leaders are:
MODEL TVI MEDIAN PRICE
---------------------------
Volkswagen Beetle 782 $20,900
Infiniti G20 780 $23,700
Toyota Prius 778 $21,900
Acura Integra 3-DR 773 $25,000
Saturn Coupe 771 $18,000
Chevrolet Corvette 767 $49,000
Mercedes Benz E-Class 767 $54,100
Honda 2000 Roadster 766 $35,000
Honda Civic 763 $16,700
Toyota MR2 Spyder 761 $25,500
Strategic Vision has assessed new vehicle owner satisfaction and calculated its Total Quality Index(TM) annually since 1995, and the Total Value Index(TM) since 1996. The firm also issues a Problem Impact Measure(TM) that gauges how much defects impact buyers' perception of quality.
Founded in 1986, the company conducts leading-edge research in consumer and constituent decision-making for diverse companies. Clients include various auto manufacturers, as well as many Fortune 100 companies and governments worldwide.
