2016 APEAL Study - JD Power

1. Safety, Connectivity Features Increase New-Vehicle Appeal, J.D. Power Finds
Hyundai Receives Five Segment-Level Awards; Honda Secures Three
SINGAPORE: 21 Dec. 2016 — The proliferation of safety features such as anti-lock braking system
and airbags and technology features such as hands-free connectivity are helping to boost the
overall appeal of new vehicles in India, according to the J.D. Power 2016 India Automotive
Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study,SM released today.
Overall APEAL averages 862 points (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2016, up from 846 in 2015. The
increase in APEAL is attributed in part to a greater share of new vehicles being equipped with
safety and technology features. Among safety features, half of new vehicles in 2016 are equipped
with driver and passenger airbags, up from 38% in 2015. The average APEAL score for vehicles
equipped with airbags is 11 points higher than it is for vehicles without them. Vehicles with anti-
lock braking systems—now available in half of all new vehicles and more than a third of vehicles in
the small car segments—have an APEAL score of 871 points, compared to 854 points for vehicles
without them.
Fitting vehicles with technology features like hands-free connectivity, which has increased by 8
percentage points from 2015, also boosts APEAL scores. Vehicles with hands-free connectivity
average an APEAL score that is 5 points higher than vehicles without the technology.
“One of the areas automakers are focusing on is enhancing safety and technology features in their
vehicles as a way to differentiate themselves from others,” said Mohit Arora, executive director
at J.D. Power. “In the past, these features were available only in vehicles of larger body types or in
vehicles at the upper end of the price spectrum. Today, these features are commonly available in
most vehicles, including those in the small car segments, providing new-car buyers, especially first-
time buyers, with more value for their money.”
More key findings of the study include:
 APEAL Affects Advocacy and Loyalty: Among owners of vehicles with average or above
APEAL scores (862 or higher), 83% say they “definitely would” recommend their
purchased model and 66% “definitely would” repurchase the same make. In contrast,
among owners of vehicles with below-average APEAL scores (861 or lower), 64% say they
“definitely would” recommend their vehicle model and 47% “definitely would” repurchase
the same brand.
 Vehicle Interiors Become Quieter: There has been improvement in overall vehicle
interior noise. The proportion of customers who are delighted (providing a rating of 10 on
a 10-point scale) with the overall interior quietness of their new vehicle increases to 23%
in 2016 from 19% in 2013. The average APEAL score among these delighted customers is
more than 300 points higher than among those who are disappointed (providing a rating of
1 through 4) with overall interior quietness.
“In addition to boosting vehicle appeal by providing more features, manufacturers also need to find
ways to continue to improve the driving experience by reducing unwanted noise, vibration and
harshness issues,” said Shantanu Nandi Majumdar, director at J.D. Power. “Reducing noise is
likely to improve brand image and enable manufacturers to distinguish themselves from
competition.”

2. Study Rankings
Hyundai receives five of the eight segment-level APEAL awards: Eon (entry compact car); i10
(compact car); Grand i10 (upper compact car); Elite i20/ Active (premium compact car, in a tie with
the Honda Jazz); and Creta (SUV, in a tie with the Mahindra Scorpio).
Honda receives three awards: Jazz (premium compact car, in a tie with the Hyundai Elite i20/ Active);
Amaze (entry midsize car); and City (midsize car, in a tie with the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz).
Maruti Suzuki receives an award in the midsize segment for the Ciaz, which ties with the Honda City.
Toyota receives an award in the MUV/ MPV for the Innova, while Mahindra receives an award in the
SUV segment for the Scorpio, which ties with the Hyundai Creta.
Hyundai’s Eon, i10 and Creta; Honda’s Amaze and City; and Toyota’s Innova also rank highest in their
respective segments in the J.D. Power 2016 India Initial Quality StudySM (IQS).
About the Study
The India APEAL Study, now in its 18th year, serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle appeal.
The APEAL Study, which examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, is used extensively
by manufacturers worldwide to help them design and develop more appealing vehicles and by
consumers to help them in their purchase decisions. The study measures satisfaction across 10
performance categories: vehicle exterior; vehicle interior; storage and space; audio/ entertainment/
navigation; seats; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); driving dynamics; engine/
transmission; visibility and driving safety; and fuel economy.
The 2016 India APEAL Study is based on responses from 8,323 owners who purchased a new vehicle
from November 2015 through July 2016. The study was fielded from May through September 2016 in
30 cities across India.
Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler; J.D. Power; Troy, Michigan 48083 USA; 001‐248‐680‐6218; media.relations@jdpa.com
About J.D. Power in the Asia Pacific Region
J.D. Power has offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Malaysia and Bangkok that conduct
customer satisfaction research and provide consulting services in the automotive, information
technology and finance industries. Together, the five offices bring the language of customer satisfaction
to consumers and businesses in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
Thailand and Vietnam. Information regarding J.D. Power and its products can be accessed through the
internet at asean‐oceania.jdpower.com.
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the
express prior written consent of J.D. Power. www.jdpower.com
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NOTE: One chart follows.

3. 854
846
845
844
844
869
865
863
857
872
869
868
866
869
869
864
863
887
878
872
869
883
883
879
878
878
857
854
840
886
886
877
869
750 800 850 900
Hyundai Eon
Entry Compact
Tata Nano
Maruti Suzuki Alto 800
Renault Kwid
Hyundai i10
Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
Tata Tiago
Compact
Hyundai Grand i10
Upper Compact
Toyota Etios Liva/ Cross
Chevrolet Beat
Honda Jazz
Hyundai Elite i20/ Active
Premium Compact
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Honda Amaze
Tata Zest
Hyundai Xcent
Entry Midsize
Honda City
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Midsize
Hyundai Verna
Toyota Innova
MUV/ MPV
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
Mahindra Bolero
Hyundai Creta
Mahindra Scorpio
Mahindra XUV 500
SUV
J.D. Power
2016 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout
(APEAL) StudySM
Top Three Vehicles per Segment
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
Source: J.D. Power 2016 IndiaAutomotivePerformance,Executionand Layout(APEAL) StudySM
Note: Only the top three vehicles per segmentare shown above.Officialrankingsare publishedonly for segmentswith at least
three modelswith sufficientsampleand at least one with an APEAL score higherthan segmentaverage.No officialrankings
are published for the luxury, premium midsize,premium SUV and van segmentsdue to an insufficientnumberof award-
eligible models.
Entry Compact Segment
Compact Segment
Upper Compact Segment
Premium Compact Segment
Entry Midsize Segment
Midsize Segment
MUV/ MPV Segment
SUV Segment
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement
identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on
numericalscores,and not necessarilyon statisticalsignificance.No advertisingor other promotional use can be made of
the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.