Toyota Fortuner, Innova, Corolla Altis ranked #1 in J.D Power Initial Quality Study

J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2013 India Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) has positioned three of Toyota's premium products at the top in their respective segments for their exceptional quality. The honored vehicles are Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Innova and Toyota Corolla Altis and they have topped the chart in SUV, MUV and sedan segments. While its Innova's 7th consecutive year at the top spot, Fortuner is ranked for the second time in succession, followed by the Corolla Altis which is making the cut for the first time.

Innova, a leader in its segment since launch has ranked highest in its segment for the 7th year in succession. Toyota Innova scored 110 PP100* against an industry average of 140 PP100. Fortuner has been Ranked highest in its segment for the 2nd  year in succession. It scored 53 PP100, which  improved by 8 points as compared to last year, against an  industry average of 131 PP100. Corolla Altis ranked highest in its respective segment, by scoring 45 PP100 against an industry average of 57 PP100

“Toyota has always strived for perfection in quality. QDR - Quality Durability and Reliability is what Toyota products stand for. It is our commitment to our customers who swear by Toyota quality and service standards. The best way to market your products is word of mouth and that comes only when the customer vouches for the quality of your products. Sustaining a customer is as important getting a new customer. We are happy that our products have been ranked highest, some models  year after year, further reinforcing Toyota’s global standards of quality,” said Mr. N Raja, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

The study, now in its 17th year, measures the problems vehicle-owners experience with their new vehicle during the first two to six months of ownership. It examines more than 200 problem symptoms covering eight vehicle categories (listed in order of frequency of reported problems): engine and transmission; vehicle exterior; driving experience; HVAC; features, controls and displays; vehicle interior; seats; and audio, entertainment and navigation. All problems are summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lower PP100 scores indicate a lower rate of problem incidence and therefore higher initial quality.

New-vehicle buyers in India are more frequently choosing to purchase vehicles with fewer initial quality problems, according to this report released last week. The study that is in its 17th year has reported that there is a sharp contrast between the sales performance of brands and their varying average levels of initial quality issues. Lower the issues higher the sales. Moreover, the shift toward purchasing above-industry-average quality vehicles is more pronounced among experienced/repeat buyers, with 27% choosing higher quality vehicles during the same period. This implies that customers are becoming more quality conscious while making purchase decisions, which calls for manufacturers’ focus upon quality thrust.