Global marketing information and services company, J.D. Power has studied about the 2-wheeler industry in depth and has come out with results, suggesting that Upper Executive and premium motorcycle owners have now become more sensitive towards the fuel economy of their vehicles. Even a slight increase in petrol prices has resulted in owners of the upper executive segment to give more importance to fuel economy while determining their product satisfaction, according to the Indian 2WAPEAL (2-Wheeler Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) study, released by J.D. Power today.
The 2019 (2WAPEAL) study is particularly based on evaluations from over 8,826 owners who have purchased a new 2-wheeler vehicle between March 2018 and October 2018. This study includes 85 two-wheeler models from nine different companies. The study was covered from September 2018 to December 2018 in about 45 cities across India. This study will set the industry benchmark that measures how satisfying a new two-wheeler is to own and ride during the first 2-6 months of ownership. The study also examines over 34 attributes across 6 performance categories like control switches or locks, engine and transmission, fuel economy, looks and styling, ride and handling and the seats.
The research now also includes the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures how likely will the new-vehicle owners recommend their vehicle brand on a 0-10 scale. Among other factors, premium motorcycle owners singled out fuel-economy as the primary factor with the highest relative importance. This emphasis on fuel economy is the highest amongst all two-wheeler segments. The study also finds that the greater emphasis on fuel economy is largely due to the increase in fuel prices. While premium 2-wheeler owners have obtained similar mileage as the previous year, they have reported an 18% increase in monthly expenditure on fuel.
The key findings of this study reveal:
- Fuel economy is the lowest-performing factor across all two-wheeler segments.
- Satisfaction amongst owners who have not experienced any initial quality problems with their two-wheeler during ownership is 36 points higher than amongst those who have experienced a problem, which is at 786 points VS 750 points.
- Overall satisfaction amongst owners who received an explanation about vehicle features and benefits during the delivery process (88%) averages 41 points higher than amongst those who did not receive the same, which is 773 points VS 732 points.
- There are about 75% highly satisfied owners, who say they “definitely will” recommend their purchased model, and 56% of these owners actually repurchase the same make. While there are about 39% highly dissatisfied owners who say they “definitely will” recommend their vehicle model, and only 25% “definitely will” repurchase the same brand.
In terms of study rankings, the Honda Activa ranks the highest in the executive scooter segment with a score of 806 points, while the Honda Grazia gets the highest rank in the upper executive scooter segment with about 778 points. However, the TVS Victor ranks the highest in the economy motorcycle segment with 789 points, while the Honda CB 125 Shine SP is at the top in the executive motorcycle segment with 779 points. The Yamaha FZ/ FZS gets the top spot in the upper executive motorcycle segment with 820 points, whereas the Yamaha YZF R15 is placed the highest in the premium motorcycle segment with about 812 points.
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“While fuel economy has always been an important driver of satisfaction for two-wheeler owners in India, motorcycle owners in the upper executive and premium segments have, in the past, typically attached relatively lower importance to it,” said Rajat Agarwal, Two-Wheeler Industry Expert at J.D. Power. “However, with increasing expenditures on fuel, there is a heightened sensitivity to fuel mileage amongst owners in these segments, resulting in the change in drivers of product satisfaction.”
