For the most recent rendition of the J.D. Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, Cadillac was ranked just below the segment average, indicating that consumers are not overly happy with their luxury vehicle.
According to the 2023 J.D. Power APEAL Study, overall satisfaction across the automotive industry fell, marking the first time there was a consecutive year-over-year decline. Cadillac was ranked eighth overall with a score of 865 out of a possible 1,000 points. This puts the luxury marque between rivals Lincoln and Lexus, which posted scores of 873 and 864, respectively.
Notably, the segment average stood at 871.
There were several key findings in this study, including:
- Both premium and mass-market segments decreased in overall satisfaction
- Owners prefer Android Automotive Operating System (AAS) with Google Automotive Serves (GAS)
- Satisfaction with fuel economy was better among BEVs than gas-powered vehicles
- Electric vehicles are closing APEAL gap with ICE-powered vehicles
- Tesla satisfaction is declining
As reference, the 2023 J.D. Power APEAL Study is based on the responses from 84,555 owners of new 2023 model year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. Measuring 10 factors – nine of which declined on a year-over-year basis. The study was fielded from February 2023 to May 2023, and is based on vehicles registered from November 2022 to February 2023.
“The decline in consecutive years might look small, but it’s an indicator that larger issues may lie under the surface,” J.D. Power Auto Benchmarking Senior Director Frank Hanley stated in a prepared statement. “Despite the technology and design innovations that manufacturers put into new vehicles, owners are lukewarm about them. While innovations like charging pads, vehicle apps and advanced audio features should enhance an owner’s experience, this is not the case when problems are experienced. This downward trajectory of satisfaction should be a warning sign to manufacturers that they need to better understand what owners really want in their new vehicles.”
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Comments
This should be no surprise. There is a distinct lack of imagination in design. Everything in new vehicles looks the same today.
This is based on owner feedback, right? So what I read between the lines is that (on average) some brands have qualities (e.g. brag-worthy name recognition, impress-the-neighbors styling, consistently-impressive powertrains/performance, etc.) that make niggling annoyances forgettable, while others don’t. I think some brands also attract a higher percentage of buyers that are oblivious to how their vehicle works – they don’t even know they have an annoyance to complain about.
A Land Rover owner might look past a lot, because “Land Rover”; ditto for BMW/Mercedes. For Cadillac, I’d bet that something about the infotainment that bothered a CT5 owner might not be so memorable for a Blackwing owner.
In short, either engineer all the faults out of your car, or make the big obvious stuff so impressive and compelling that the little things don’t matter as much.