Ipsos South Africa released the 2015 Product Quality Awards and Toyota South Africa Motors stood out with three platinum awards, one gold award as well as three category wins. This illustrating once more that quality is synonymous with Toyota.
Toyota was awarded Platinum Awards for Best Overall Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) Brand (PP100 score of 33), Best One Ton Double Cab LCV Brand (34) and Best Local Plant Manufacturing LCVs (31) in the latest results. Toyota was also awarded with Gold as the Best Volume Passenger Car Brand (31) and was ranked first as the Best Local Plant Manufacturing Passenger Cars (25). In addition, Toyota was a clear leader in the LCV categories with its flagship Hilux winning best Petrol Single Cab (26) and best Diesel Single Cab (31).
“Quality is one of our priority areas at Toyota. We focus on build quality, durability and reliability into each of our vehicles. We understand that quality has always been a big consideration factor when customers purchase vehicles and we endeavour to maintain a high standard as well as customer service,” says Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors.
Toyota also won three of the eleven sub categories which make up the passenger section including Toyota Auris (Top Hatch), Toyota Avanza (Multi-Purpose Vehicle – MPV), and Lexus ES (Medium Sedan). Four Toyota vehicles were in the Top 10 vehicles overall, including the number one position (Toyota Auris).
This is the largest study of this kind in South Africa and forms part of Ipsos’ Syndicated Automotive Research. The study currently talks to more than 30 000 vehicle owners each year. The quality survey takes place three months after purchasing a new vehicle to ascertain any problems experienced with the vehicle.
The industry average number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) has remained between 30 and 40 since 2011, which is a huge improvement since 2005 when this measurement indicated a score of over 140 problems per 100 vehicles recorded.
“Once again we have seen a marked improvement in quality during 2014, despite growing technological complexity in vehicles” commented the Ipsos Automotive Business Unit Director, Patrick Busschau. “Customers in South Africa are becoming increasingly demanding where product quality and general service levels are concerned, but the local motor industry continues to keep raising the bar or at least remains on a very high level.”
Busschau went on to say, “What is particularly pleasing from a consumer’s perspective is the general improvement across all the major participating brands. We can all be very confident as consumers that the brands represented here are doing a really great job in providing us with product that is world-class.” Busschau added, “This year we are celebrating distinction in a number of new categories including consistent excellence, new model entrants and most improved vehicles and these, along with the high number of Gold awards, should leave us with no doubt that the participating brands have a great deal to be proud of.”
“We are really proud of this result. We pride ourselves on our quality and when our customers confirm this, it shows that our efforts in this regard are being recognised. We have two goals at Toyota; to Create Ever Better and to be rewarded with Customer Smiles and I think this proves to us that we are headed in the right direction,” concludes Hamman.