On April 13, Car Quality Network and Kairui Saichi Consulting officially released the "2021 China Automotive Product Quality Performance Research Report". The study found that the overall negative performance of new energy vehicles was better than that of fuel vehicles, but the driving system and noise noise complaints were higher than the latter; the engine problems of fuel vehicles broke out again; and some of the basic function problems of intelligent vehicle systems were frequent.
Since its first launch in 2019, the China Automotive Product Quality Performance Research (AQR) project has always adhered to the problem orientation, put consumer concerns first, and characterized respondents' views on all vehicle quality problems with negative performance (negative performance = number of problems X complaints; scores are negatively correlated with quality performance). The 2021 study continues to refine the secondary dimension, add consumer research sections and new energy product sequences, and expand the number of surveyed brands and models, covering 20 market segments, 56 brands, and a total of 171 models.
Negative performance results of new energy vehicles
Overall better than fuel vehicles
Top 10 problems in the field of new energy vehicle segmentation
In the segment of new energy vehicles, the overall negative performance, number of problems and complaints of products are better than those of fuel vehicles, but the problems of the three-electric system, driving system, and abnormal noise are concentrated.
The number of driving system problems is 23.3% higher than that of fuel vehicles, from entry-level to high-end models;
Among the Top10 problems, noise problems such as wind noise, tire noise, brake and air conditioning noise account for 4 seats, battery life and charging time are inaccurate, and fast attenuation feedback is concentrated;
Among the subdivided models, the number of problems with the three-electric system of the mid-to-high-end and high-end models is less than that of the entry-level and mid-range models, but the feedback on the noise and cooling effect of air conditioning is concentrated.
Zhang Yue, senior vice president of Kairui Saichi Consulting, said that at present, many consumers still regard new energy vehicles as a means of transportation, and product expectations are relatively low, which is also the main reason for the overall negative performance results of the new energy segment, but with the increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, consumers will pay more attention to the quality performance of the product in all dimensions, and the overall negative performance of this segment may fluctuate.
The quality performance of fuel vehicles continues to deteriorate
Top 10 problems in the field of fuel vehicle segments
In the field of fuel vehicle segmentation, the negative performance of product quality (negative performance = number of problems X degree of complaints) results have deteriorated for two consecutive years, of which the negative performance of smart car machines has the largest difference, reaching 48%; specific to the number of problems, the number of problems feedback from consumers in the two areas of smart cars and engines has increased by 40% year-on-year; specific to consumer complaints, the transmission and driving assistance complaints are the highest.
The high incidence of independent brand intelligent car engine failures, and the concentrated outbreak of European brand engine problems;
Among the Top10 problems, 8 of the gear shifting setbacks, engine noise and abnormal jitter are related to the power system, of which engine noise and mechanical failures are on the list for the first time, an increase of 375% and 189% year-on-year, respectively;
The odor problem in the car has improved, and the proportion of user choices has decreased by 4 percentage points compared with 2020, and it does not appear in the top 10 problem list.
Smart configuration doesn't perform well
The selection ratio of the second dimension problem of intelligent vehicle and machine
In this study, the negative performance of intelligent configuration results was not good overall, especially in the fuel vehicle industry.
The number of reversing radar and reversing image problems increased by 7 times and 5 times respectively compared with 2020;
The first appearance time of smart car crash and caton is concentrated within 1 month of car purchase;
Failure of functions in driver assistance systems is frequent.
For the quality problems derived from new technologies, Zhang Yue believes that "in general, the application of new technologies will inevitably lead to unexpected quality problems, but this should not be an excuse for vehicle quality problems, it is recommended that car companies understand the real needs of consumers, and restore all car scenes as much as possible during research and development." ”
Studies in the fields of consumer pre-sales attention and car behavior have found that fuel vehicle users pay more attention to drivability, styling, product quality and safety; pure electric vehicle consumers' car purchase concerns focus on "mileage anxiety" such as short mileage and attenuation of electricity.
Focusing on new energy and intelligent tracks, enterprises cannot completely avoid product homogenization, and if they want to stand out in the fierce competition, they need to focus on the whole life cycle of vehicles and always provide high-quality products that meet user demands. In this study, some products stand out in various market segments with better quality performance.
During the same period, Car Quality Network also cooperated with Kairui Saichi Consulting to release the results of the 2021 China Passenger Car Tire User Satisfaction Study, and announced the best performing brands in the segment. The study selected the main sales products of 20 mainstream tire brands, and the survey sample exceeded 7,000, covering 243 cities in 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government.