Published

Car Buyers Worry More About Styling Than Quality

As average vehicle quality improves, looks and image are becoming bigger factors in which vehicle to buy, according to the J.D.

Share

As average vehicle quality improves, looks and image are becoming bigger factors in which vehicle to buy, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Avoider Study.

The study polls would-be buyers about why they don't consider particular vehicles. One-third of this year's respondents say they would reject a model because of its exterior design, and 19% shun a vehicle because of its interior styling.

Power says 17% of car shoppers avoid a model because they don't like the image it conveys equal to the proportion deterred by the perception of poor quality.

The greater reliability of new vehicles has leveled the playing field, according to Power. The firm's studies show that the average number of problems per vehicle after three years of ownership shrank to 1.3 last year from 1.7 in 2009.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Choosing the Right Fasteners for Automotive

    PennEngineering makes hundreds of different fasteners for the automotive industry with standard and custom products as well as automated assembly solutions. Discover how they’re used and how to select the right one. (Sponsored Content)

  • Things to Know About Cam Grinding

    By James Gaffney, Product Engineer, Precision Grinding and Patrick D. Redington, Manager, Precision Grinding Business Unit, Norton Company (Worcester, MA)

  • Jeeps Modified for Moab

    On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions