- Indian customers rank Volkswagen Polo highest in the premium compact segment of cars in the 2016 India Initial Quality Study conducted by J.D. Power.
- With a reduction in problems reported by customers in the first six months of ownership, the Volkswagen Polo has improved in the ranking compared to the previous year
- Dr. Andreas Lauermann said, “At Volkswagen, quality tops our focus during production. We have been listening to our customers and relentlessly working towards resolving the issues they face”
Pune, June 21, 2017: J.D. Power, a marketing, consumer intelligence, and data and analytics company that helps its clients measure, understand, and improve the key performance metrics that drive their growth and profitability, found from its 2016 India Initial Quality (IQS) Study that customers in India have ranked the Volkswagen Polo highest in the premium compact car segment. The J.D. Power study measured problems that owners experienced with new vehicles during the first two to six months of ownership. This includes 8,330 vehicle owners across 30 cities in India. More than 200 problem symptoms in eight vehicle categories were examined (listed in order of frequency of reported problems): engine and transmission; driving experience; HVAC; vehicle exterior; features, controls and displays; vehicle interior; audio, entertainment and navigation; and seats. All problems were summarized as the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower PP100 score indicating a lower incidence of problems and higher initial quality.
The Volkswagen Polo was reported with only 55 PP100 in the premium compact segment of cars. This score has been significantly higher than the average of the segment, which stands at 89 PP100 as well as that of the overall industry which stands at 95 PP100. The Polo was rated higher than last year in the categories Engine & Transmission, HVAC, Driving Experience, Vehicle Interior and Seats.
On being ranked highest in the J.D. Power 2016 India IQS Study, Dr. Andreas Lauermann, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, said: “At Volkswagen, quality tops our focus during production. We have been listening to our customers and relentlessly working towards resolving the issues they face.” He further added, “We believe in manufacturing cars that are truly of global standards when it comes to quality irrespective of where they are manufactured. So, be it a car manufactured in India or elsewhere in Europe, it follows the same standards across and that is what sets us apart from the competition.”
About Volkswagen Group India: The Volkswagen Group is represented by five passenger car brands in India: Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, ŠKODA, and Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Group has been present in India for the last 16 years and began its India journey with the entry of the ŠKODA brand in 2001. The Audi brand and Volkswagen brand entered India in 2007, while Porsche brand and Lamborghini brand followed in 2012. Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity in the market. Volkswagen Group India has about 30 models in India, about 240 dealerships and is operating two plants – Pune and Aurangabad. The Pune Plant has a manufacturing capacity of 200,000 cars per year (maximum in three-shift system) and is currently manufacturing Volkswagen Polo, Ameo and Vento and ŠKODA Rapid. The Aurangabad Plant assembles various premium and luxury models of Audi, ŠKODA and Volkswagen sold in India and has an annual maximum capacity of approximately 89,000. Volkswagen Group India is a part of Volkswagen AG, which is globally represented by 13 brands – Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scania, SEAT, ŠKODA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, MAN, Volkswagen Passenger Cars and MOIA.
