Detroit – They are drastically changing the way they do business by cutting costs, restructuring operations and pouring resources into new products.
But Detroit’s troubled Big Three automakers have an equally tough task ahead in changing the minds and attitudes of American consumers.
Concerns about quality and reliability are the prime reasons that consumers avoid vehicles built by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG, according to an exclusive study conducted for The Detroit News by J.D. Power and Associates.
The News study found that despite making significant improvements in quality, the Big Three still suffer from the perception that their products are inferior to those made by Asian competitors.
While 83 percent of the 500 consumers polled said they will consider buying or leasing an American-branded car or truck in the next 24 months, only 49 percent said they would “most likely” purchase a vehicle built by GM, Ford or Chrysler.
And of the 18 percent polled who avoid American brands entirely, the most influential concerns were about reliability, poor quality, resale value and fuel economy.
“People are just so many times more likely to avoid a domestic-brand vehicle because of these issues than they are to avoid an Asian brand,” said Todd Wilson, director of automotive research for J.D. Power in Westlake Village, Calif.
Despite the fact that the quality gap between Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. has narrowed considerably, the Big Three U.S. automakers still suffer from a legacy of shoddy workmanship in the past.
“I just stay away from American cars,” said Leona Drolet, an Ocala, Fla., resident and owner of a Korean-made Kia Sephia sedan. “I’ve had nothing but problems with them.”
With GM, Ford and Chrysler gearing up for new-model introductions at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month, company executives are acutely aware that consumers demand superior quality in every segment of the market.
