Nigerians, who are in love with what is popularly known as American spec automobile may need to start looking inward, as Quality of new vehicles sold in the United States is declining.
An automotive consultant, J.D. Power, came up with this revelation following a recent study. The badly declining quality of America vehicles, according to JD Power, is due to factors such as growing use of technology and lower build quality of certain parts are making the models more “problematic”,.
Build quality of certain parts such as audio systems and cup-holders have resulted in quality issues, the report said, which collected data from 93,380 purchasers and lessees of 2023 model-year vehicles.
Automakers have been leaning on software and technology as they rush to roll out innovative models amid easing supply constraints and labor shortages.
Problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) rose 30 PP100 during the past two years, the report said. A lower score reflects higher vehicle quality.
Quality ratings of Tesla Inc , which is not officially ranked among other brands in the study as it did not meet ranking criteria, increased by 31 PP100 year-over-year to 257 PP100 in 2023.
Electronic touch-point designed door handles offered on new vehicles have also become an issue, with seven of the 10 most problematic models seen in battery electric vehicles, the report said.
The wide range of quality problems in the automotive industry is “a phenomenon not seen in the 37-year history of the Initial Quality Study”, said J.D Power’s senior director of auto benchmarking Frank Hanley.
“Today’s new vehicles are more complex — offering new and exciting technology — but not always satisfying owners,” Hanley added.
Dodge ranked the highest overall in terms of initial quality, while Chrysler and Volvo were jointly ranked lowest, according to J.D. Power.
The study, carried out from February through May, is based on 223 questions divided into nine vehicle categories.
Unfortunately, over the years, most of the used vehicles popularly known as Tokunbo, which are on sale in Nigeria, are imported from the United States.
Reacting to the revelation, Nigeria’s auto industry Analyst, who is also the editor of Motoring World, expressed a worry that the development could further endanger the road safety of Nigerian road users.
He said: “It’s time for the country’s new government to take necessary legal step to encourage and assist Nigerians to buy brand new vehicles made in Nigeria. An important major step is immediate passage of the neglected National Auto Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) bill into law to build investor confidence in the nation’s auto industry.”
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