Toyota
Motor Co. handily dominated Strategic Vision’s tenth annual Total Value Index,
which is designed to measure which cars, trucks and crossovers provide the best
value for the dollar. But while
But Honda fared poorly with its
Accord Hybrid. In fact, the new study provides a warning to automakers that
General Motors was the only one of
the domestic Big Three to stand tall in the latest survey by the
“It’s more bad news for
The various
Until recently,
Data for the 2005 Total Value
Study (or TVS) was collected early this year, prior to the run-up in fuel
prices, but it already indicated an increasing interest in fuel economy among
American buyers.
The Accord Hybrid, “was considerably down the list,” noted Gorrell. “If you’re going to delight consumers, you’re really going to have to deliver good mileage with a hybrid,” he added, a pointed reference to the fact that in real-world driving, the Accord and several other hybrids are delivering far less fuel economy than claimed.
A critical message from this year’s TVI is that increasingly savvy motorists want it all: performance, comfort, mileage, quality, long-term reliability and high trade-in values, among other attributes.
General Motors did field four segment winners, Malibu Maxx, Cadillac XLR, Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Sierra 2500/3500. But for a company with so much product, Gorrell suggested GM should aim to do even better in the future.
At least the giant automaker did do better than its cross-town rivals. Ford had just one segment winner, the F-Series pickup, and Chrysler Group had none. Gorrell said the research data showed consumers liked many Chrysler products, but found operating costs high and trade-in values too low.
Honda also had four segment winners, two trucks and two cars, and was the top-rated full-line corporation in this year’s study. The Odyssey minivan did especially well, but so did the Element crossover. Gorrell said he expects Honda to do well again in the coming year with the launch of its next-generation Civic.
BMW was the strongest of the European brands, buoyed by its new 3-Series and the Mini Cooper. Nissan scored with two segment winners, while Subaru, Kia and Audi each took one segment. Hyundai didn’t capture any individual segments, noted Gorrell, but it did take second and third in a number of categories, and the Korean maker was well-received on a variety of factors, not just low cost.
Indeed, discounting can actually work against a manufacturer, Gorrell stressed, which is why the Big Three did not enjoy any benefits from their hefty incentives. One reason is that these givebacks tend to dilute brand value. They also hurt residual – or trade-in – values.
The Total Value Index surveyed over 69,000 2005 new-vehicle buyers who purchased their vehicles during the October 2004 to March 2005 time period. Buyers were asked an extensive array of questions about their complete ownership experience including buying, owning, and driving their new vehicles.
2005-Model Winners | ||
Categories |
Winner(s) |
TVI score |
Small Car |
Scion xA |
791 |
Small Multi-Function |
Scion xB |
770 |
Medium Car |
Nissan Altima |
791 |
Medium Multi-Function |
Chevrolet |
742 |
Large Car |
Kia Amanti |
773 |
Small Specialty under $25k |
MINI Cooper |
803 |
Small Specialty over $25k |
BMW 3-Series Coupe |
767 |
Near Luxury Car |
BMW 3 Series |
790 |
Luxury Car - 3 way tie |
Lexus GS Lexus LS430 Acura RL |
778 777 777 |
Luxury Multi-Function |
Audi A4/S4 Avant |
743 |
Convertibles under $30k |
MINI Cooper |
891 |
Convertibles over $30k |
Cadillac XLR |
774 |
Minivan |
Honda Odyssey |
719 |
Small SUV |
Honda Element |
763 |
Medium SUV |
|
721 |
Medium Crossover |
Nissan Murano |
733 |
Large SUV |
Chevrolet Tahoe |
716 |
Near Luxury SUV |
Lexus RX330 |
763 |
Luxury SUV |
Lexus GX470 |
772 |
Compact Pickup |
Subaru Baja |
753 |
Full-Size Pickup |
Ford F-150 |
721 |
Heavy Duty Pickup |
GMC Sierra 2500/3500 |
708 |
Best brand (Multi product) |
Scion |
778 |
Best corporation (full line) |
American Honda |
739 |
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