According to the data of Cheqq.com, a leading domestic defective automobile product information collection platform, a total of 20,330 domestic SUV complaints were received in the first quarter of 2024, and the data of the Passenger Association showed that the sales volume of domestic SUVs (excluding imported cars) in the same period was about 2.373 million units, covering 321 models. In order to ensure the accuracy of the data, Cheqq.com only counted the first complaint cases of these 321 models, and calculated that the average SUV complaint sales ratio in the first quarter of 2024 was 57.4 per 10,000, which was significantly higher than the average of 38.3 per 10,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023, and the overall complaint sales ratio showed a regressive trend.
The complaint sales ratio of 73 hot-selling models was better than the average of its peers
As a leading information collection platform for defective automobile products in China, Cheqq.com uses the "complaint sales ratio" evaluation system to analyze domestic SUV products in the first quarter of 2024. According to statistics, the average domestic SUV sales in the first quarter were 7,392 units (the average monthly sales volume was about 2,464 units), and a total of 86 of the 321 models supported by sales data exceeded this average, becoming the best-selling SUV models in the first quarter. Among them, 73 models performed better than the average domestic SUV complaint sales ratio of 57.4 per 10,000 in the first quarter, with a good reputation foundation in the domestic hot-selling SUV models, and the product quality stability performance was better than that of other domestic SUV models.
The number of complaints rebounded slightly, and the performance of complaint sales volume deteriorated
It can be seen from the changes in the number of SUV complaints in each quarter that after the first four quarters of the surge, the number of SUV complaints rebounded in the first quarter, once again exceeding the 20,000 mark, up 9.7% month-on-month, and a large increase of 66.3% compared with the same period last year. In the same period, contrary to the trend of complaints, SUV sales showed a trend of rising and falling, with sales in the first quarter falling by 24.3% quarter-on-quarter, falling to the second lowest point in the past five quarters.
From the perspective of the change in the complaint sales ratio, since the first quarter of 2023, the complaint sales ratio has increased quarter-on-quarter for two consecutive quarters, and after reaching its peak in the third quarter of 2023, the value has begun to decline sharply. Entering 2024, due to the dual impact of the increase in SUV complaints and the decline in sales in the first quarter, the complaint-to-sales ratio has rebounded strongly, and the short-term complaint-to-sales ratio has regressed.
The proportion of complaints decreased The decline in sales was higher than that of sedan models
Judging from the comparison of the number of complaints about each model attribute in the first quarter, the number of complaints about SUVs is still ahead of other model attributes, but it accounts for a slight decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2023, which is less than 4% of the total. During the same period, SUV sales declined month-on-month, and the decline was higher than that of sedan models, but it still maintained a volume of more than 2 million units, which is much higher than the attributes of other models.
In the first quarter, the ratio of complaints to sales for all model attributes increased to varying degrees compared with the fourth quarter of 2023, among which compact cars and medium and large vehicles changed greatly, doubling quarter-on-quarter. In contrast, the complaint-to-sales ratio of SUVs did not increase too much, and the complaint-to-sales ratio performed significantly better than that of compact, mid-size and medium-large cars in the same period.
The proportion of other problems continues to expand, and the proportion of pure quality problems has dropped to a low level
From the proportion of SUV complaints in the first quarter, it can be seen that the proportion of complaints about other problems continued to rise, an increase of 13.7 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2023, and has reached nearly 1/4 of the total. The proportion of complaints about pure quality problems in this quarter decreased by 15.4 percentage points compared with the previous quarter, and has fallen to the lowest point in nearly a year.
The strong return of independent brands and the absence of American brands from the list
From the perspective of the proportion of countries in the first quarter, the number of models on the list of independent brands increased significantly compared with the previous quarter, and the proportion increased by 4.5 percentage points, which has exceeded 6% of the total. German brands also saw a slight increase in the number of models on the list in the quarter, but their share remained the same as in the previous quarter. It is worth noting that for the first time in nearly three years, American brands have missed the quarterly SUV complaint sales ratio list.
Data highlights:
In terms of the models on the list this quarter, domestic brands performed strongly, not only adding 9 new models, but also occupying 9 seats in the top 10 on the list, far ahead of other brands. In addition, the performance of German brands in the quarter was also remarkable, with two more models on the list, and some models also improved their rankings, and the overall complaint sales ratio was better than in the fourth quarter of 2023.
In the first quarter, Chery Automobile continued its outstanding performance in the previous quarter, with a total of 9 models entering the list, once again leading the major brands on the list. Among them, Explore 06 and Jietu Daisheng are among the top 10 on the list, and the complaint sales ratio is eye-catching. Specific to the list, Hongqi HS3 defended the champion of the list with a good result of "zero complaints", and hopes to make persistent efforts. Different from the list of car complaints and sales ratio in the first quarter, fuel vehicles still occupy the mainstream in the SUV list, and the proportion of new energy vehicles on the list is relatively low. Among them, as representatives of new power brands, the new models Nezha X and Wenjie M9, which will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2023, entered the top 10 of the list for the first time. It is worth noting that the Ideal L8 and Ideal L9, which were in the top 10 of the list last quarter, did not perform well this quarter. In particular, the ideal L8, affected by the deterioration of word of mouth, has greatly climbed to double digits in the value of its complaint sales ratio, and its ranking has dropped to the bottom of the list, and the short-term complaint sales ratio has taken a big step forward.
It is worth mentioning that a total of 9 luxury brand models were included in the list this quarter, an increase of 2 from the previous quarter. BMW Brilliance remains the leader of the luxury brand, with four models on the list. Among them, BMW Brilliance X5 once again ranked among the top 10 on the list after five quarters due to its excellent word-of-mouth performance, and the complaint sales ratio was further reduced compared with the fourth quarter of 2023, which is worthy of recognition. In addition, Mercedes-Benz GLC performed well this quarter, not only improving its ranking from 40th in the previous quarter to 14th, but also reducing the complaint sales ratio to single digits, successfully completing the counterattack.