Yahoo Autos Key Tidbits From 2021 J.D. Power APEAL Study
The results of J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (“APEAL”) Study were released yesterday. The study surveys the emotional connectivity of the owners with their new cars. Consumer-provided data is compiled and converted by J.D. Power into an overall index score on a 1,000-point scale. The higher the score a vehicle gets, the greater its appeal. The latest results were based on responses from 110,827 buyers of new 2021 model-year vehicles during their first 90 days of ownership.
Mass Market Brands’ Appeal Rising
One of the most interesting finds of the study was the growing attachment levels for mass-market vehicles, signaling that a car’s price tag may no longer be directly proportional to the driving experience. This makes sense as automakers are rolling out various models, offering amazing features, technology and style at all price points. The average APEAL score for mass-market brands was 845, higher than last year’s 838. Indeed, the luxury brands are still topping the charts, with the average APEAL score for premium brands being 864. Yet, the gap between the scores of mainstream and high-end brands has been narrowing of late. This year’s 19-point gap was down from a 23-point gap in 2020.
It’s a Tie Between Premium Porsche and Mainstream Dodge
Perennial premium-brand APEAL leader, Porsche — owned by Volkswagen VWAGY — continued its winning streak with a score of 882. What’s exciting to note here is that Stellantis’ STLA mass-market brand, Dodge, also scored an 882. Dodge not only bagged the top spot in mass-market brands in the APEAL study, it even ranked second in J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study that was released a couple of weeks back.
