The J.D. Power 2016 Thailand Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study states that appearance and styling drive the increase in new vehicle appeal in Thailand.
Overall APEAL averages 901 points (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2016, up from 883 in 2015, with scores in all vehicle segments improving year over year. The SUV segment improves the most from 2015 (+28 points, on average), followed by the pickup truck and passenger car segments (+20 and +10 points, respectively).
“Manufacturers have successfully managed to improve vehicle attractiveness, especially with newer or redesigned SUV and pickup models,” said Siros Satrabhaya, manager at J.D. Power. “However, while satisfaction with newer models increases in most vehicle component categories, they post notably lower scores (more than 20 points) in fuel economy this year. This may indicate a lack of transparency and possibly overpromising fuel efficiency figures under normal usage conditions.”
(The Thailand government in 2016 mandated that each new vehicle in the showroom have an “eco sticker,” which shows fuel efficiency information for the vehicle.)
“The information on the sticker may be misleading since it’s based on lab testing conditions,” said Satrabhaya. “Consumers’ expectations are being set by the data on the sticker, and only after they own the vehicle do they realize the fuel efficiency may vary in everyday use.”
The study also finds that first-time new-vehicle owners, who represent 48 percent of buyers, are notably less satisfied with the overall appeal of their vehicle than repeat buyers (890 vs. 910, respectively). A test drive is an effective way to increase customer satisfaction, which is considerably higher among those who take a test drive than among those who do not (903 vs. 872, respectively). The impact of a test drive on satisfaction is significantly higher among first-time buyers than among repeat buyers (+35 vs. +24 points, respectively).
The following are additional key findings of the study: The top five highest-rated vehicle attributes overall are side-profile appearance and styling; forward visibility from the driver’s seat; appearance of exterior paint; usefulness of steering wheel-mounted controls and ease of seeing/ reading controls/ displays while driving. Attributes receiving the lowest ratings are seat features – specifically, the ability of seat surfaces to resist soil/ lint; ease of operating/ adjusting rear seats; and flexibility of seating configurations – and storage and audio issues, including usefulness of rear cup holders and quality of bass.
Study Rankings:
Honda received three APEAL awards: the Jazz (898) in the entry midsize car segment; the Civic (908) in the midsize car segment; and the HR-V (913) in the compact SUV segment.
Suzuki received the award in the compact car segment Ciaz (894); Toyota in the new large SUV segment for the Fortuner (908); Mitsubishi for the Triton Plus X-Cab (922) in the extended cab pickup segment; and Ford earned the double cab pickup segment award for the Ranger D-Cab (923).
The 2016 Thailand APEAL Study is based on responses from 4,813 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle from November 2015 through July 2016. The study covers 13 different brands that include 82 different passenger car, pickup truck and utility vehicle models. The study was fielded from May through September 2016.
