In its first report on the two-wheeler industry in India, J.D. Power has reported high incidence of initial quality problems with issues that include engine, fit and finish, electricals and brakes.
J.D. Power 2015 India Two-Wheeler Initial Quality Study (2WIQS), which strives to provide the two-wheeler industry with vital information about customer expectations, examines 138 problems, spun over 7 categories of two-wheelers, with problems including engine, brakes, lights and electricals, fit and finish, ride and handling, transmission, and gauges and controls.
The initial quality problems have been summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).
The study finds that the average initial quality of two-wheelers in India is 166 problems per 100 vehicles. Out of this, there were 44 engine problems per 100 vehicles, and other top reported problems included fit and finish (25 PP100), lights/electricals (25 PP100) and brakes (24 PP100).
Of all the reported problems, the study finds that consumers most commonly cited excessive fuel consumption, difficulty in starting the engine, poor luminescence of the headlamps, inadequate stopping power from the brakes, or over-sensitive braking.
Since 80 per cent of the owners use the vehicle for an average daily commute of 40 kms per day (according to the study), one-third of two-wheeler owners have reported fuel economy as the driving factor behind vehicle purchase decisions.
The other interesting finding that’s reported in the study is that owners who receive an explanation of their vehicles’ operations and features reported 142 PP100, as compared to the 242 PP100 reported by users who did not receive any such explanations.
The owners also complained about engines not starting properly (the first starts of the day; 6.5 PP100) and noisy gears (7.1 PP100).
The seven study categories include two scooter segments (economy and executive), and five segments of motorcycles (economy, executive, upper executive, premium and premium plus).
Based on the 2015 India Two-Wheeler Initial Quality Study, TVS Wego ranks the highest among executive scooters (84 PP100), and in motorcycles, Hero Super Splendor ranked highest in the executive segment (137 PP100). In the premium motorcycle segment, Bajaj Avenger ranks the highest with 88 PP100.
The 2015 India Two-Wheeler Initial Quality Study (2WIQS) is based on evaluations from 10,285 vehicle owners who purchased a new vehicle between March 2014 and October 2014. The study includes 81 two-wheeler models from nine makes.