2011 Synovate Quality Awards for Product Quality announced
Automotive manufacturers impress with record new scores
BRYANSTON – The 2011 Synovate Quality Awards have yielded a record average of 56 PP100 as an overall average in the Passenger vehicle category. This is almost a 31% improvement from last year’s overall average of 81 PP100. "These are exceptional results," states Richard Rice, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Synovate. "As the scores have been improving over the years, the rate of improvement has been levelling out, as one would expect. However, the manufacturers have managed to reverse this trend and have shown a dramatic increase in their rate of improvement."
This study is the largest survey of its kind in South Africa and forms part of Synovate’s Syndicated Automotive Research – a study into the quality of sales and service transactions as well as product quality. This study collectively talks to 33 000 South African vehicle consumers on average each year. Respondents are interviewed three months after purchasing their vehicles to ascertain which, if any, problems have been encountered during the first few months of ownership. The score is calculated as problems per 100 vehicles. The fewer the problems reported by the owner, the lower the score.
"A lower score equates to a better result in Synovate’s PP100 study" explains Rice. "Mercedes-Benz’s best score (for the C-Class) is at a low 18 PP100 – meaning that out of 10 vehicles of this model, at least 8 are completely problem-free. From the results we can also see that the 18 vehicles of every 100 that do report a problem, the problem is generally a squeak or a rattle"
Awards go to those who are top in their segments - Gold Awards are given to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the overall winner in each segment. The competition is very close and over the years, the gaps between the rankings have become a lot smaller with the resultant effect of an excellent industry average as demonstrated.
This year a discretionary Platinum Award has been awarded to Mercedes-Benz for exceptional performance across all of their segments. "Mercedes-Benz has dominated in every single segment where it competes and received Gold Awards for all of their relevant models this year," states Rice. "This is an exceptional feat and deserves the highest accolade."
Looking across the Passenger Vehicle segments, the best performing segments include Entry Level, Small Sedan, and the Medium segment. All the Gold Award winners across passenger vehicles have scores well below 50 PP100.
"Entry level has a particularly impressive gold winner," states Rice. "The new Chevrolet Spark has entered the race with a low 17 PP100 and it’s very rare for a new model to enter the market with so few product quality problems."
"The medium passenger vehicle segment is generally made up of high-spec vehicles" states Rice. "These cars are typically made for enthusiasts who are also very discerning and quick to identify any problems. The front-runner in this segment - the Mercedes-Benz C-Class - has achieved 18 PP100 which is an extraordinary performance."
There has also been significant improvement across the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) and Recreational Vehicle (RV) segments. The LCV average improved from 100 PP100 to 86 PP100 and RV from 85 PP100 down to 76 PP100. Toyota has dominated the overall category awards for LCV, achieving Gold in each of the categories.
"Recreational vehicles are quite feature-rich, given that they are made for off-road driving," states Rice. "What this means is that there is a lot in the vehicle that could go wrong and there is a bigger chance that these vehicles should have a higher problem count. The lowest score in both segments (for the Toyota RAV 4) is at a record low 35 PP100 meaning that despite the greater probability for error, 6.5 cars out of 10 are problem free."
The lowest segment score in LCV goes to the Toyota Hilux in the Petrol Single Cab segment with a score of 45 PP100. "An LCV score below 50 PP100 is outstanding," continues Rice. "Light commercial vehicles are usually subject to a higher problem count earlier on due to the fact that are exposed to heavier loads, tougher conditions, rougher roads and the like. A low problem count in the LCV segment is evidence that manufacturers have received product quality feedback and corrected issues that customers are reporting, based on what the vehicle is being used for."
Passenger Vehicle Segments : Gold Awards |
||
|---|---|---|
Entry |
Chevrolet Spark |
17 |
Small Hatch |
Toyota Yaris T3 |
31 |
Small Sedan |
Toyota Yaris Sedan |
22 |
Top Hatch |
Mercedes-Benz A-Class |
33 |
Top Sedan |
Mazda 3 Sedan |
35 |
Medium |
Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
18 |
Top Executive |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
36 |
Sports Coupé |
Volkswagen Scirocco |
42 |
MPV / Station Wagon |
Mercedes-Benz B-Class |
40 |
Recreational Vehicle Segments: Gold Awards |
||
|---|---|---|
Segment |
Gold Award |
Score |
Small RV |
Toyota RAV4 |
35 |
Large RV |
Mercedes-Benz M-Class |
67 |
Light Commercial Vehicle Segments : Gold Awards |
||
|---|---|---|
Segment |
Gold Award |
Score |
Three Quarter Ton |
Chevrolet Corsa Utility |
59 |
Petrol Single Cab |
Toyota Hilux |
45 |
Diesel Single Cab |
Isuzu KB |
55 |
Petrol Double Cab |
Toyota Hilux |
65 |
Diesel Double Cab |
Toyota Hilux |
52 |
Overall Category Awards 2011
Passenger Vehicles
Best Local Plant manufacturing Passenger Vehicles |
Mercedes-Benz |
18 |
|---|---|---|
Best Luxury Passenger Car Brand Overall |
Mercedes-Benz |
26 |
Best Volume Passenger Car Brand Overall |
Toyota |
42 |
Light Commercial Vehicles
Best One Ton Single Cab Light Commercial Vehicle Overall |
Toyota |
53 |
|---|---|---|
Best One Ton Double Cab Light Commercial Vehicle Overall |
Toyota |
57 |
Best Local Plant Manufacturing Light Commercial Vehicles |
Toyota |
55 |
Best Overall Light Commercial Vehicle Brand |
Toyota |
52 |
Platinum Award: Exceptional Product Quality |
Mercedes-Benz |
|---|
About The Synovate Quality Awards
The results reflected above represent the views of vehicle consumers interviewed between the dates of Jan – Dec 2010. These awards have achieved a high status over the years, due to the extensive research history that has been accumulated. Fieldwork was conducted between Jan – Dec 2010. The product quality interview is normally conducted after 90 days of ownership and the age of the vehicle is carefully controlled to ensure that comparisons between brands and models are fair.
Brands included in the survey make up the majority of the South African vehicle market. These are Nissan, Mitsubishi, Lexus, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Opel, Fiat, Volvo, Renault, Peugeot, Audi, CJD, Volkswagen, Mazda, Isuzu, Ford.
Brands not excluded due to low sample or non-submission of names include: BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Tata, Ssang Yong, Proton, Citroen, Hummer, Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover, Alpha, MINI, Subaru, Suzuki.
Download Synovate Quality Awards Presentation 2011 Full Rankings
About Synovate
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. A truly borderless company with offices in over 60 countries, our 'biggest small company' approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients' specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes. To learn more about Synovate visit www.synovate.com.