Cars still smelling bad, new survey finds

Unpleasant interior smells and excessive road noise remain the top problems for China's auto industry in 2020, according to a report by consulting firm J.D. Power.

Eight problems in this year’s top 20 list are new, including insufficient power, slow USB charging and uncomfortable seat belts. 

Traditional gasoline vehicles and new-energy vehicles have 13 problems in common, including the top two. 

High on the list of traditional gasoline vehicle complaints are excessive fuel consumption, insufficient power and abnormal engine noise.

For new-energy vehicles, they include poor air conditioning, noisy fans and blowers, and excessive wind noise with windows and sunroof closed.

J.D. Power noted that the quality of traditional gasoline vehicles may benefit from improvements in new-energy vehicles. The firm said automakers taking the lead in making noticeable improvements will establish quality advantages and advance industry progress.

The report noted that the image of domestic brands in innovation, environment-friendliness, reliability and reputation had greatly improved compared with five years ago, narrowing the gap with international brands.

J.D. Power China launched its Initial Quality Study in 2000. It measures the quality of new vehicles the first two to six months after purchase.

It is based on a survey of 32,536 respondents between December 2019 and August 2020, covering 241 cars of 57 brands.