In the past five years, sales numbers aren’t the only improvements with respect to diesel vehicles in India – overall quality too, has also improved.
This was stated in the the J.D. Power 2014 India Initial Quality Study (IQS) Study released recently, which says that the number of problems new-vehicle owners are reporting with their diesel vehicles have decreased significantly.
According to the statement, the study is based on the problems that owners might experience with their new vehicles, during the first two to six months of ownership and examines more than 200 problem symptoms covering eight vehicle categories - 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.
The study’s key findings state that the entry compact has seen an improvement of 48 PP100 in 2014, as compared to 2013, while the MUV/ MPV segment has improved by 25 PP100. The SUV segment too has improved by 20 PP100.
The study also takes in owners’ accounts, and 79 per cent of owners who claim to have experienced fewer problems than expected, say that they intend to keep their vehicles for 5 years or more.
As for the owners who got more problems than expected, 58 per cent of them say that they will retain the car for the same period.
The vehicle owners, who face fewer problems than expected, are also more likely to recommend the same car to their friends or families.
The press release also stated that Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have two models each that rank highest in their respective segments.
The Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 tops the entry compact segment with 97 PP100, and the Maruti Suzuki Swift leads the premium compact segment with 78 PP100. In the compact segment, The Hyundai i10 ranks highest with 84 PP100, while the entry midsize segment sees the Hyundai Xcent on top with 86 PP100.