WagonR, Esteem top J D Power''s APEAL study 2005''

Our Corporate Bureau
20 December 2005

Mumbai: New-vehicle buyers' delight with their vehicle continues to improve in India for the seventh consecutive year, according to the 'J D Power Asia-Pacific 2005 India automotive performance, execution and layout' (APEAL) study released today.

The industry as a whole improved 7 index points over 2004 to 787 index points out of a possible 1,000. Twelve out of the 21 models covered in both 2004 and 2005 studies show improvement in their APEAL scores and two Maruti models - the WagonR and the Alto - topped APEAL segment rankings.

"The compact and entry midsize segments together account for more than 50 per cent of industry sales volumes," says Mohit Arora, India director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "These segments therefore witness intense competition, resulting in all manufacturers in the segment working to continuously upgrade their product offerings."

Maruti Wagon R ranked highest in the reclassified compact car segment closely followed by the Maruti Alto and the Hyundai Santro, respectively.
Maruti Esteem ranks highest in the entry midsize car segment, closely followed by the Ford Ikon and Opel Corsa / Swing.
The Honda City ranks highest in the midsize segment for a third consecutive year with Hyundai Accent and Maruti Baleno, respectively, following the City in the segment rankings.
Repeating its segment-leading performance in the 2005 India initial quality study, Skoda Octavia ranks highest in the premium midsize segment in APEAL.
The re-launched Octavia also emerges as the most improved model in the industry--improving 37 index points over 2004. Toyota Corolla ranks second, followed by Chevrolet Optra.
The recently launched Toyota Innova ranks highest in the utility vehicle super-segment, which is composed of MUVs, SUVs, MPVs and vans. The Innova is followed in the segment ranking by Mahindra Scorpio and Maruti Omni, respectively.

"The Octavia sets the industry benchmark in six of the eight factor areas composing APEAL," said Arora. "Greater owner delight leads to greater advocacy of the product. The Skoda Octavia demonstrates this fact, with the highest percentage of customers who are inclined to recommend their model to others."

The 2005 India APEAL Study is based on responses from more than 4,500 new vehicle owners covering 12 makes and 35 models, and includes customers who purchased their vehicles between January 2005 and July 2005. Eight categories of vehicle styling, design and performance are measured to assess owner delight at two to six months of ownership, including, engine / transmission; ride, handling and braking; comfort / convenience; seats; cockpit / instrument panel; heating, ventilation and cooling; sound system; and styling / exterior.

"The compact and entry midsize segments together account for more than 50 percent of industry sales volumes," said Mohit Arora, India director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "These segments therefore witness intense competition, resulting in all manufacturers in the segment working to continuously upgrade their product offerings."

Maruti models have significantly contributed to improve the new vehicle buyers' delight with their vehicles. The industry has improved 7 index points over 2004 to 787 points out of a possible 1000. Twelve out of the 21 models covered in both 2004 and 2005 studies show improvement in their APEAL scores.

Honda City, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Innova rank highest in their respective segments.

The 2005 India APEAL Study is based on responses from more than 4,500 new vehicle owners covering 12 makes and 35 models, and includes customers who purchased their vehicles between January 2005 and July 2005.

Eight categories of vehicle styling, design and performance are measured to assess owner delight at two to six months of ownership, including: engine/transmission; ride, handling and braking; comfort/convenience; seats; cockpit/instrument panel; heating, ventilation and cooling; sound system; and styling/exterior.