Last week J.D. Power released their findings regarding a study based on the emotional appeal of recently launched new vehicles.  This goal of the study was to try and measure owners’ emotional attachment to their newly purchased vehicles.  To arrive at these results, J.D. Power asked survey participants to rate their vehicle based on 37 key emotional attributes that ranged from the feeling they got when they first saw the exterior of their vehicle to the level of emotion they experienced as they drove off the dealer’s lot in their newly purchased vehicle.  Finishing at the top of the ratings were Dodge and Ram Truck with scores of 882 and 881 respectively (the scores were on a 1,000 point scale).  It should be noted that Dodge and Ram Truck are grouped in the “mainstream” vehicle category.  However with its score of 882, Dodge actually tied the score achieved by Porsche in the “premium” [...]

Today’s results from the JD Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) show just how much GM has improved in long-term reliability and durability. The Vehicle Dependability Study focuses on problems customers experienced in the past 12 months with three-year old vehicles. This year’s study was based on feedback from 37,000 owners of 2010 model year vehicles.  J.D. Power measures overall dependability by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles. The lower the PPH score, the higher the dependability. Highlights of the 2013 VDS include: Four segment award winners: Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra HD and Buick Lucerne Seven additional GM vehicles scored in the top three in their segments GM had the lowest rate of component replacement (e.g., batteries, switches, etc.) From an owner loyalty perspective, J.D. Power found that 54 percent of customers who experienced no vehicle problems stayed loyal to the brand. This number drops to 41 [...]