Daihatsu, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes Top Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study in Germany

For the first time since the launch of the study in 2002, Daihatsu has claimed the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates' redesigned 2009 Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) in Germany with a total score of 843 on a 1,000-point scale. The Japanese brand was followed by Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz that tied in second place with 835 points, BMW was third with 834 points and Audi and Toyota that tied in fifth place with 831 points.

On the other side of the scale, Ford (796 points), Opel, Kia and Peugeot that tied with 790 points, Fiat (778 points), Chevrolet (775 points) and Smart (772 points) occupied the last five places in J.D. Power's 2009 German vehicle ownership satisfaction study. The industry average is 814 points.

Model-wise, Daihatsu's Sirion captured the top rank position in the small car category while Toyota received awards for the Aygo city car and the Corolla lower medium car. In the upper medium segment, Renault's Laguna finished first while Mercedes-Benz topped the executive / luxury and sports car segments with the E-Class and CLK Class models respectively.

Also receiving segment-level awards are the Skoda Roomster in the MPV group and the Nissan Qashqai in the SUV category.

J.D. Power and Associates' finding are based on 16,200 online interviews with German vehicle owners after an average of two years of ownership. According to the firm, German owners are asked to provide detailed evaluations on their cars and dealers covering 67 attributes grouped in four measurements of satisfaction including: vehicle appeal (32%) which covers performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (26%); ownership costs (22%) including fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (20%).

Daihatsu Unveils Move Conte Minicar in Japan

Japan’s biggest minicar maker, Daihatsu, introduced its new Move Conte on Monday, August 25. Although the 5-door Move Conte is slightly shorter than the Fiat 500 measuring in at just 3,395 mm in length, Daihatsu supports that the minicar will offer ample space for four passengers thanks to its innovative interior packaging. Offered in both front and four-wheel-drive versions, the Move Conte will be available with two 3-cylinder engines, the naturally aspirated KF-VE developing 58 and the turbocharged KF-DET producing 64 HP. -Continued

Daihatsu, which is 51 percent owned by Toyota, said that the yearly sales target is 50,000 Move Contes a year in Japan with the suggested retail prices ranging between 990,000 yen to 1.595 million yen (excluding consumption tax).