Michelin sweeps 2011 J.D. Power OE honours

ERJ staff report (TB)

Westlake Village, California -- Michelin-brand tyres earned the top ranking in all four categories of J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 US OE Tire Customer Satisfaction Study.

Michelin last swept swept top honors in all four categories-luxury, passenger car, performance sport and truck/utility-in 2008. The four category wins this year bring to 66 the number of top rankings the brand has earned in the study's 21-year history, Michelin said.

The 2011 OE satisfaction study is based on responses from more than 26,000 new-vehicle owners who purchased a 2009 or 2010 model-year vehicle. The study was carried out during the fourth quarter of 2010.

Tyre owner satisfaction within each segment is measured by examining four factors: tyre wearability; tyre appearance; tyre traction/handling; and tyre ride, J.D. Power said. Rankings are based on owner experiences with their tyres after two years on the road.

Goodyear scored two runners-up scores, in the passenger car and performance sport segments; runners-up in the luxury and truck/utility segments were Pirelli and Bridgestone, J.D. Power said.

Rob Murray, Michelin North America Inc.'s vice president of operations for passenger and light truck original equipment tyres, said the tyre maker's success in the study is the result of “relentless commitment to innovation and technical performance” in a collaborative partnership with automotive manufacturers.

Other brands to earn above-average recognition were Yokohama in the passenger car segment and Continental in the truck/utility segment.

Overall, J.D. Power noted that tyre satisfaction among owners of domestic and European vehicles has increased during the past three years, while owners of Asian vehicles reported their satisfaction was largely unchanged.

The study finds that satisfaction with tyres among owners of domestic vehicles increased 23 points to 682 on a 1,000-point scale, while European vehicle owners rated their satisfaction nine point higher at 698. J.D. Power also reported that owners of Asian nameplate vehicles rate their tyre satisfaction well below average in all segments except luxury.

Casey Mier, research manager in the automotive practice at J.D. Power, noted that tyres are distinct among automotive components in that the brand name is more closely associated with the component than the vehicle nameplate.

“However,” he said, “automotive manufacturers clearly have the final say in the specification and type of tyres that go on their vehicles. Therefore, it is particularly important for auto makers and tyre manufacturers to develop close relationships to ensure the satisfaction of the end-consumer.”

Other findings in the study include:

• * Owner-reported problems with tyres have decreased to 84 problems per 100 vehicles from 88 in 2010.

• * Nearly one-third of owners who indicate they have not experienced any problems with their tyres say they will recommend their tyre brand, while only 21 percent of owners who experience just one problem say the same.

• * Nearly one-half of “highly satisfied” tyre owners say they “definitely will” recommend their tyre brand to family and friends. In contrast, 29 percent of customers with a satisfaction score below 500 say they “definitely will not” recommend their tyre brand.

For the complete J.D. Power OE tyre ratings, visit: J.D. Power's website.

Westlake Village-based J.D. Power is a global marketing information services company providing forecasting, performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions. It is a business unit of McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

Press release from J D Power