J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Honda Ranks Highest in New-Vehicle Owner Satisfaction in New Zealand; Mercedes-Benz Ranks Highest in Satisfying Owners of Used Vehicles
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 6 -- Honda ranks highest in satisfying new-vehicle owners in New Zealand, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 New Zealand Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.
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Now in its fourth year, the study, which is conducted in association with the New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA), is based on interviews with 4,061 new-vehicle owners and 11,653 owners of used vehicles. Overall satisfaction is based on owner experiences in four factors: vehicle quality and reliability; vehicle appeal (which measures satisfaction with the vehicle's design, style, performance and comfort); service; and ownership costs.
Honda ranks highest in ownership satisfaction in the new-vehicle segment with an index score of 799 on a 1,000-point scale. Volkswagen, Mazda and Suzuki, respectively, follow Honda in the rankings.
Overall satisfaction among new-vehicle owners in New Zealand has increased to 769 index points in 2009--up 8 points from 2007.
As a result of its success in the study, Honda was awarded the New Zealand Automobile Association's 2009 AA Motoring Excellence Award for Customer Satisfaction.
Overall quality improves to 156 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) in 2009, down from 170 PP100 in 2007. Problems are summarized as the number of reported problems per 100 vehicles, with lower scores indicating a lower rate of problem incidences and higher quality.
Mercedes-Benz ranks highest in ownership satisfaction among buyers of used vehicles, followed by BMW, Toyota, Audi and Honda, respectively.
Overall satisfaction among used-vehicle owners in New Zealand has increased significantly to 730 index points in 2009--up from 712 in 2007.
The 2009 New Zealand Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study serves as a benchmark in measuring customer attitudes and expectations in the market. A total of 15,714 vehicle owners from among New Zealand Automobile Association members were surveyed online to evaluate their ownership experiences.
Overall Nameplate Ranking Vehicles Purchased New (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Honda 799 Volkswagen 788 Mazda 787 Suzuki 782 Toyota 770 New-Vehicle Segment Average 769 Kia 766 Hyundai 765 Mitsubishi 760 Peugeot 755 Nissan 750 Holden 746 Subaru 741 Ford 737 Included in this study but not ranked due to small sample size are: Lexus, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Citroen, Daihatsu, Volvo and Renault. Overall Nameplate Ranking Vehicles Purchased Used (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Mercedes-Benz 762 BMW 755 Toyota 742 Audi 738 Honda 736 Mazda 734 Suzuki 734 Used-Vehicle Segment Average 730 Volkswagen 728 Holden 726 Nissan 724 Hyundai 721 Ford 720 Peugeot 716 Subaru 713 Mitsubishi 704 Included in this study but not ranked due to small sample size are: Lexus, Volvo, Daihatsu and Alfa Romeo. Factors Contributing to Overall Vehicle Satisfaction in New Zealand Vehicle Quality and Reliability (33%) - Satisfaction with quality and reliability of the vehicle Vehicle Appeal (33%) - Satisfaction with the design, style performance and comfort of the vehicle Ownership Costs (26%) - Issues related to costs for service and repair, fuel efficiency and insurance Service (8%) - Satisfaction with the dealer service department when bringing vehicle in for maintenance or repair work About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
About the New Zealand Automobile Association and the 2009 AA Motoring Excellence Awards:
The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of New Zealand road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST. The AA Motoring Excellence Awards aim to identify and reward excellence in areas of interest to motorists, including new vehicles. A total of 52 new vehicles were nominated and tested as part of this year's awards, which were presented in partnership with UDC, Vodafone, Castrol, EECA, Vero, The New Zealand Herald, Saatchi & Saatchi, and the NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (Inc).
Media Relations Contacts:
Brian Fine; Managing Director, New Zealand; J.D. Power and Associates; Sydney, Australia; +61-2-9020 6790; brian.fine@jdpowera.com.au
John Tews; Director, Media Relations; J.D. Power and Associates; Troy, Mich.; (248) 312-4119; john.tews@jdpa.com
Stella Stocks; General Manager - Technical; New Zealand Automobile Association; Auckland, New Zealand; +64-21-772 242; sstocks@aa.co.nz; www.aa.co.nz/mea
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com
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