Vehicle dependability rises in China: JD Power

Vehicle dependability in China has improved this year but car owners' complaints about noise also increased, according to a study released by consulting firm JD Power on Thursday.

“The automotive industry in China has made exciting progress on vehicle dependability in 2019,” said Jeff Cai, general manager of Auto Product at JD Power China.

Cai further stated that “improvements in both new vehicle quality and dependability demonstrate that automakers are paying more attention to performance issues as a way to navigate the market downturn and spark a turnaround.”

The consulting firm noted that features, controls and displays improved the most; followed by engine, transmission and vehicle interior.

The study further shows that car owners complained more about noise problems this year. Excessive wind noise and road noise are among the most commonly cited problems and these increased compared with 2018.

The study also pointed out that Chinese domestic brands made greater progress in vehicle dependability than international brands. The gap between Chinese and international brands has narrowed, the smallest since 2015. 

The study is based on responses from 34,820 vehicle owners who purchased their cars between January 2015 and June 2018. The study includes 284 models from 69 different brands and was fielded from January through July 2019 in 71 major cities across China.