J.D. Power Readies New Awards

California-based consultancy and research specialist J.D. Power is adding two new awards to honor engineering teams that worked on its highest-rated all-new and redesigned vehicles.

The winners for 2018 models will be announced at next month’s SAE World Congress Experience (WCX). Power says the awards merge the results of the company’s annual initial-quality study (IQS) and APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) surveys, both of which will continue individually in their present forms.

IQS measures new-vehicle quality by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles reported during the first 90 days of ownership. The APEAL study evaluates owners’ “emotional attachment” and level of excitement across 77 attributes.