In Germany the Fiat 500
has ranked first in its category in the "Vehicle Owner
Satisfaction Study" by J. D. Power and Associates, the
well-known agency that since 2002 has been conducting
market surveys to determine how much German motorists
are satisfied with their cars and their brands. The
prestigious award ceremony was staged in Berlin at the
Axel Springer publishing house.
With a total score of
81.8 percent in the "minicar" category, Fiat 500 ranked
first in a classification that has been traditionally
led by German and Japanese models.
The study, conducted
worldwide every year, gauges the degree of satisfaction
of customers based on 67 characteristics in four
different categories, each of which with a specific
weight. Appeal (performance, design, comfort, functions)
amounts to 32 percent of the total score, quality and
reliability of the car amount to 26 percent, running
costs (fuel, insurance, servicing and repairs) to 22
percent, while brand dealership satisfaction amounts to
20 percent of the total score.
Specifically, the
"Vehicle Owner Satisfaction Study" conducted in Germany
was based on 17,158 online surveys targeting motorists
who have owned their car for two years or more and who
during this time have travelled an average of 38,700
kilometres. The survey concerned only models belonging
to nine categories - from minicar to SUVs - and was
based on at least 50 questions.
The most interesting
result of this edition was the opinion expressed by
German customers on the most important criteria - appeal
of performance, passenger compartment and bodywork -
where Fiat 500 was given top scores three times. The
Fiat city-car also stands out from the crowd in terms of
running costs.
