J.D Power and Associates is a leading independent authority on consumer-surveyed quality in the South African motoring industry. This year the study was conducted amongst a representative group of more than 8,600 new vehicle owners who bought their vehicles between January and May this year and the findings are based on problems experienced with new cars during the first three to seven months of purchase.
The survey covers something like 228 potential problem symptoms, with the lowest scores indicating fewer problems and better quality.
The Honda Jazz beat the next best individual model by a full 35 points.
While the Jazz won the award for the individual model, BMW walked away for the best points for an entire passenger vehicle brand, followed by Honda, Subaru, Mercedes- Benz and Volvo.
Last year Honda won this section as well, with BMW being placed second in the all-models category.
Interestingly enough, four of the five brands ranked the worst last year are amongst the bottom five again this year. Stone last was Tata, with Volkswagen, Fiat, Opel and Renault close behind.
An obviously proud Hiroaki Shibata, Managing Director of Honda SA. said: “These results mirror similar results obtained by Honda in other international markets as well as in other local quality surveys and further serve to validate claims about the exceptional quality, reliability and durability of our products.”
He said the Jazz's position as the best overall car shows that South Africans don't have to purchase a luxury vehicle to receive world-class quality levels.
"We are thrilled with the way the South African buyer has taken to this unique and versatile compact car," says Graham Eagle, Honda South Africa's General Manager of Sales and Marketing. "Flexibility and, most notably its frugality when it comes to fuel, make the Honda Jazz a great package, and it shows that consumers don't need to spend a fortune in order to purchase the best possible quality," continues Eagle.
