KIA MOVES UP TO THIRD AMONG ALL NON-PREMIUM NAMEPLATES IN J.D. POWER AUTOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE, EXECUTION AND APEAL STUDY
Four J.D. Power APEAL Awards Marks the Most in Kia’s History
- U.S.-built Optima and Sorento land a double victory for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia
- Sedona minivan earns second consecutive APEAL accolade
- Funky Soul continues to wow customers with the perfect mix of fun and functionality
IRVINE, Calif., July 27, 2016 – Kia Motors has earned its most-ever J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) awards with the Optima, Sorento, Sedona and Soul, all garnering awards in their respective segments. The quadruple award win has moved Kia to third in the industry among Non-Premium Nameplates, according to J.D. Power, propelling the brand up from seventh place in 2015. The announcement follows on the heels of Kia Motors recently being ranked highest in the industry in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
“Customers want vehicles they’re proud to drive, and Kia earning four J.D. Power APEAL awards, a record for the brand, reflects our global focus of placing our customers first,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, Kia Motors America. “Buyers today are smarter than ever and are looking for vehicles that offer a superior combination of design, technology, safety and premium amenities. The Optima, Sorento, Sedona and Soul are prime examples of these important attributes as more people discover the new Kia and its world-class model line every day.”
The Optima and Sorento, both built at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), beat tough competition in their respective segments, with Optima performing a substantial 25 points above the segment average. The Sorento bested offerings from strong competition in the hotly contested midsize SUV segment. In the Minivan category, the Sedona beat segment rivals and 2016 marks the second consecutive year Kia’s highly regarded people mover scores an APEAL award. The Soul, a long-running favorite among consumers looking to stand out from the crowd, garnered its fourth APEAL award (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), making it the vehicle with the most APEAL accolades in Kia’s lineup of award-winning vehicles.
The J.D. Power APEAL study measures new-vehicle owners’ overall satisfaction with their vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership. The results are divided into 10 categories and weighted accordingly: exterior, interior, storage, audio, seats, heating and ventilation, driving dynamics, powertrain, visibility, and fuel economy.
CHEVROLET LEADS J.D. POWER INITIAL QUALITY STUDY
DETROIT – Five Chevrolet vehicles led their segments in the J.D. Power 2016 Initial Quality Study. No other brand has more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards than Chevrolet — for the fourth consecutive year.This follows the brand’s strong showing in the 2016 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, where Chevrolet also had more models ranked highest in its segments than any other brand.“These results play two critical roles in our strategy to bring new retail buyers to the brand,” said Alan Batey, Global Chevrolet president. “First, the study results will help attract new buyers to Chevrolet, as J.D. Power data shows ‘expected reliability’ is customers’ top purchase consideration for a new vehicle. Second, the improved ownership experience of our new vehicles will help convert first-time Chevrolet buyers into repeat customers, as J.D. Power indicates customers who have a positive experience in the first 90 days of ownership are more likely to become repeat buyers for the brand.”Chevrolet’s focus on the customer has fueled a 3 percent gain in retail sales for the first five months of 2016. In the same period, Chevrolet’s share of the retail sales grew 0.6 percentage points, making Chevrolet the fastest growing full-line brand in the industry.Chevrolet segment awards in the 2016 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study include:
- Silverado swept the full-size truck categories, with the Silverado 1500 receiving the top marks for light-duty trucks and the Silverado HD receiving the top marks for heavy-duty trucks.
- Equinox led the compact SUV segment (in a tie), with study results that were 15 points better than the segment average.
- Tahoe lead the large SUV segment, with study results that were 19 points above the segment average.
- Finally, the Spark dominated the city car segment, with study results that were 48 points higher than the segment average.
The study, now in its 30th year, examines problems experienced by vehicle owners during the first 90 days of ownership. Initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.The 2016 U.S. Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2016 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study is based on a 233-question battery organized into eight problem categories designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement. The study was fielded from February through May 2016.For more information about the 20