Overall APEAL Satisfaction in Japan Increases for Second Consecutive Year, J.D. Power Finds
Lexus Ranks Highest among Luxury Brands and MINI Ranks Highest among Mass Market Brands
TOKYO: 4 Oct. 2023 — The overall satisfaction score has improved to 671 (on a 1,000-point scale), up
seven points from 2022, according to the J.D. Power 2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution
and Layout (APEAL) Study,SM released today. Overall satisfaction has increased two years in a row—since 2021 when the study was redesigned—indicating that owners continue to be satisfied with theirnew vehicles.
“Satisfaction has increased in all 10 study categories since 2022, especially the powertrain category,”said Yuji Sasaki, director of the research division at J.D. Power. “Specifically, powertrain satisfaction
has improved not only for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles [PHEVs] and electric vehicles [EVs], but also
for internal combustion engine [ICE] vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles [HEVs]. Satisfaction with fueleconomy also continues to improve for ICEs and HEVs. With the global increase in electrification ofpowertrains, technology has also evolved for traditional powertrains, including ICEs and hybrid
powertrains, and in alignment with that, satisfaction with these types of powertrains has alsoincreased.”
The study, now in its 13th year, measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with
their new vehicle across 37 attributes. These attributes are aggregated to compute an overall APEAL
Index score measured on a 1,000-point scale. The study complements the annual J.D. Power Japan
Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) and the J.D. Power Japan Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study.SM
Following are key findings of the 2023 study:•Infotainment systems lag: The smallest year-over-year improvement is in the infotainment
category. Vehicle owners in Japan are more likely to experience problems related to theinfotainment category, causing satisfaction to increase by only 4 points to 626 from 2022.
Auto manufacturers need to work on improvements in quality in this category.

•Brand-new or fully redesigned models tend to satisfy customers: Brand-new or fully redesigned
models are included in six of the nine rank-eligible segments and this year five of such models
rank highest in their segment.

•Gap in satisfaction has widened: When vehicle owners experience quality issues, APEAL scores
decrease. Among customers who do not have quality issues, satisfaction with their new vehicle
averages 696 points, 52 points higher than among customers who do have quality issues (644).
In the 2021 APEAL Study, the gap between such customers was 47 points (678 vs. 631,respectively). To improve satisfaction, it becomes increasingly important for automakers todevelop and produce vehicles with fewer problems.

•Satisfaction with fuel economy increases and decreases: Satisfaction with fuel economy has
increased for two years in a row, to 647 points for both ICE vehicles and HEVs (compared withjdpower-japan.com
japan.jdpower.com

640 in 2022 and 631 in 2021), while decreasing for PHEVs (706 in 2023 and 722 in 2022) andEVs (574 in 2023 and 586 in 2022).
Highest-Ranked Brands
Lexus ranks highest in overall APEAL. MINI ranks highest among mass market brands.
Rankings by vehicle segment: Mini-car–Sedan: Suzuki Lapin
 Mini-car–Height Wagon: Nissan Sakura
 Mini-car–Super Height Wagon: Daihatsu Move Canbus
 Compact Car: Nissan Note Compact SUV: Mazda CX-3
 Midsize Car: Toyota Prius
 Midsize SUV: Nissan X-trail Compact Minivan: Toyota Sienta
 Minivan: Toyota Alphard
The 2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, now in its 13th year,
is based on responses from 21,647 users of new vehicles in the first two to 13 months of ownership.
The study, which complements the annual Japan Initial Quality Study (IQS) and the Japan Tech
Experience Index (TXI) Study, is used extensively by manufacturers worldwide to help them designand develop more appealing vehicles and is used by consumers to help them in their purchasedecisions. The study was fielded from May-June 2023.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneerin the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understandconsumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer
interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses acrossmajor industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’sbusiness offerings, visit JDPower.com/business.
Media Relations Contacts
Kumi Kitami; Japan; 81-3-6809-2996; release@jdpa.com
Geno Effler; J.D. Power, USA; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/pressrelease-info###NOTE: Three charts follow.

J.D. Power
2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout(APEAL) StudySM
APEAL Brand Index Ranking(Based on a 1,000-point scale)

Luxury Brands

Lexus

760

BMW739Luxury Brands Average

736

Mercedes-Benz

Audi

716

703

NOTE: Brand/Segment are not rank eligible unless they meet study criteria by J.D. Power, including insufficient sample.
Source: J.D. Power 2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study SM
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying
J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,
and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information inthis release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

J.D. Power
2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout(APEAL) StudySM
APEAL Brand Index Ranking(Based on a 1,000-point scale)

Mass Market Brands
MINI729

Subaru

703

Mazda

690

Nissan687

Mitsubishi

675

Toyota

675

Honda

673

Volkswagen

671

Mass Market Brands Average

668

Suzuki

643

Daihatsu

640

NOTE: In alphabetical order if there are tie scores.
Brand/Segment are not rank eligible unless they meet study criteria by J.D. Power, including insufficient sample.
Source: J.D. Power 2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study SM
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying
J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,
and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information inthis release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

J.D. Power
2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout(APEAL) StudySM
Brand Ranking
Highest Ranked in Overall
Highest Ranked in Mass Market Brands

Lexus
MINI

Top Three Models per Segment
Mini-car–Sedan

Midsize Car

Highest Ranked: Suzuki Lapin
Suzuki AltoDaihatsu Mira e:S

Highest Ranked: Toyota Prius
Subaru Levorg
Honda Civic

Mini-car–Height Wagon

Midsize SUV

Highest Ranked: Nissan Sakura
Suzuki Hustler
Daihatsu Cast

Highest Ranked: Nissan X-trail
Toyota Harrier
Mazda CX-5

Mini-car–Super Height Wagon

Compact Minivan

Highest Ranked: Daihatsu Move Canbus
Honda N-BOX
Nissan Roox

Highest Ranked: Toyota Sienta
Suzuki Solio
Honda Freed

Compact Car

MinivanHighest Ranked: Nissan Note
Toyota Aqua
Toyota Yaris

Highest Ranked: Toyota Alphard
Honda Step Wgn
Toyota Noah

Compact SUV
Highest Ranked: Mazda CX-3
Nissan Kicks
Toyota Yaris Cross

NOTE: Brand/Segment are not rank eligible unless they meet study criteria by J.D. Power, including insufficient sample.
Source: J.D. Power 2023 Japan Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study SM
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying
J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores,and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information inthis release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.