Vehicle Dependability in Japan Improves from 2019, J.D. Power Finds
Daihatsu Ranks Highest among All Brands
TOKYO: 21 Oct. 2020 — Overall vehicle dependability in Japan has improved year over year, as thenumber of defects and malfunction problems have decreased, according to the J.D. Power 2020 Japan
Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS), released today.
“Overall vehicle dependability has improved this year compared to last year,” said Koichi Urayama,senior director of the automotive division at J.D. Power Japan. “However, since 2015 when the VDS
was inaugurated in Japan, design-related problems have been more frequently reported in the ACEN
category. These problems include user-friendliness and ease of use, indicating improvements need tobe made in these areas. Additionally, in order to increase loyalty, manufacturers need to continue theirefforts toward improving and maintaining quality to develop long-lasting customer satisfaction.”
The study, now in its sixth year, measures problems experienced by original owners of vehicles after 37
to 54 months of ownership. The study examines 177 problem symptoms across eight categories:vehicle exterior; driving experience; features/controls/displays (FCD);
audio/communication/entertainment/navigation (ACEN); seats; heating, ventilation and air conditioning(HVAC); vehicle interior; and engine/ transmission. Overall dependability is determined by the numberof problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.
Following are some of the key findings of the 2020 study:•Vehicle dependability improves by 10 PP100: The overall industry average for vehicle
dependability in 2020 decreases year over year by 10 PP100 to 62 PP100. The largest improvement
is in the engine/transmission category (-2.4 PP100), specifically for automatic engine shut
down/restart/re-engagement problems (-0.6 PP100) and automatic transmission–hesitation/shifts
at wrong times (-0.4 PP100). Vehicle dependability also notably improves in the vehicle exterior (1.9 PP100) and the vehicle interior (-1.8 PP100) categories.

•Among the 14 brands included in the rankings, dependability improves by at least 10 points forseven brands: The number of reported problems has decreased for 12 of 14 brands compared to2019, indicating that quality has improved. Vehicle dependability has improved by 10 points ormore for seven brands, including Mazda (-24 PP100); Daihatsu (-19 PP100); and BMW (-14 PP100),
three brands that have achieved larger problem decreases than the other brands.

•Brand loyalty hinges on dependability: This study also rates satisfaction with overall vehicle quality
on a 10-point scale for vehicles owned for 37 to 54 months. Nearly one-third (30%) of owners
indicate with a rating of 9 or 10 points that they “definitely will” purchase the same brand again. In
the 2020 Japan Initial Quality Study published in August, 26% of owners say the same after two tonine months of ownership. This suggests that, if brands can satisfy their customers in terms ofinitial quality, they can expect to maintain high dependability ratings and brand loyalty even after alonger period of ownership.

japan.jdpower.com

Study Rankings
Daihatsu ranks highest among all brands for the first time. Lexus ranks highest among luxury brands
for a third consecutive year.
Highest-Ranked Models
Mini-Car segment: Daihatsu Move Canbus
Compact segment: Toyota Passo
Midsize segment: Subaru Levorg and Toyota Corolla, in a tie
Minivan segment: Toyota Estima
The 2020 Japan Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 19,488 purchasers of newvehicles in the first 37 to 54 months of ownership. The study was fielded online in June-July 2020.
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These
capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability.
Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich.
Media Relations Contacts
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About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/pressrelease-info###NOTE: Two charts follow.

J.D. Power
2020 Japan Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS)
2020 Brand Ranking
Problems per 100 Vehicles (PP100)

Daihatsu

54

Lexus

55

Toyota55

Suzuki

58

Honda

61

Industry Average

62

Subaru73

Mitsubishi

75

Audi

76

BMW76

Nissan76

MINI79Mazda

81

Mercedes-Benz

90

Volkswagen

93

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 2020 Japan Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS)
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 in th isrelease or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.

J.D. Power
2020 Japan Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS)
Top Three Models per Segment

Mini-Car
Highest Ranked: Daihatsu Move Canbus
Honda N-One
Suzuki Wagon R

Compact Car
Highest Ranked: Toyota Passo
Toyota Porte
Toyota Vitz

Midsize Car
Highest Ranked in a Tie: Subaru Levorg
Highest Ranked in a Tie: Toyota Corolla
Toyota Auris

MinivanHighest Ranked: Toyota Estima
Toyota VoxyToyota Esquire

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 2020 Japan Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS)
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 in th isrelease or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power.