Volkswagen Tops 2012 Total Quality Index; Chevrolet Volt Ranked Top Mid-Size Car

Volkswagen has been rated the highest total quality of new automakers, according to Strategic Vision’s 2012 Total Quality Index survey. The new report says that Volkswagen Group of America (including Audi) ranks highest in, while Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Group tie for second place.

The 2012 Total Quality Index is based on interviews with 45,390 people who purchased new vehicles between September and December 2011. In addition to its TQI score, the report also publishes a Problem Impact Measure that quantifies the nature, severity, and repair speed of vehicle problems. Toyota led that metric, meaning its vehicles were the least problematic for owners. Despite this, not a single Toyota vehicle topped its segment in Total Quality.

The report attributes Volkswagen’s success to the quality of the Golf, Eos, and Tiguan, plus the Audi A4 and A8. All five of those vehicles “won” one of the report’s segments with the highest TQI score. As for Ford, the Flex, F-150, and F-250/F-350 all won their respective segments. Chrysler Group, which tied for Ford in second place for overall quality, saw the Fiat 500, Dodge Charger, and Jeep Grand Cherokee win vehicle segments.

The biggest surprise in this year’s report is that the Chevrolet Volt electric car won the mid-size car segment, with a Total Quality Index of 913. We think it seems like an odd choice for that segment: the plug-in Volt is classified by the EPA as a compact and has less interior space and costs significantly more than other cars in the mid-size class. Strategic Vision vice president Christopher Chaney, however, explains in a statement that the Volt “may not be a sales leader, but those who purchased it were heavily influenced by a number of quality cues that made it a segment leader in Total Quality.”

Overall, Volkswagen Group led with five cars winning their respective segments; BMW (including Mini) had four; Ford, Honda, and Chrysler Group, nabbed three segment wins; General Motors had two; and both Nissan and Land Rover scored one segment win each. The full list of vehicles and their Total Quality Index Scores is embedded below.

Source: Strategic Vision