Michelin Most Satisfying – J.D. Power

Michelin has come out tops for customer satisfaction in the winter tyre market amongst vehicle owners in Japan for the fourth year in a row, according to the results the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index (W-TSI) Study. This particular study is now in its fourth year and employs five criteria to determine overall customer satisfaction with their winter tyres: tyre performance in snow-covered road conditions, icy road conditions and regular road conditions, as well as appearance and quality/durability. Customer evaluations are scored on a 1,000 point scale to determine the across the board winner.

Seven tyre brands were included in the study, and Michelin’s overall index score of 636 points saw the French manufacturer not only securing first place but also topping all five individual criteria that determine satisfaction. Close behind was Bridgestone on 606 points, who also performed strongly in all five individual areas. Both Bridgestone and Michelin earned the highest rating in tyre performance on icy road conditions, and were the only two manufacturers to rate an overall score above the industry average of 587 points. At the other end of the scale the lowest overall score was recorded by Falken, who received 532 points.

Although classed by the J.D. Power survey as below the industry average, Dunlop, Yokohama and Toyo recorded marked improvements for 2007. Dunlop improved its winter tyre performance in icy road conditions, while Yokohama received higher ratings in the performance of winter tyres in both icy and regular road conditions. Toyo made improvements in winter tyre appearance, performance in icy road conditions, and quality/durability.

As a whole the industry demonstrated notable improvements in winter tyre performance in icy road conditions compared with the previous year’s study and also recorded higher ratings in the areas of regular road conditions, appearance and quality/durability.

However, according to J.D. Power winter tyre performance in icy road conditions remains an area where all manufacturers possess room for improvement. Amongst the five criteria, index scores were lowest in this area (averaging 552 points), a pattern reflected across all tyre brands and regions studied.

“Since customers purchase winter tyres in order to drive safely on winter roads, they have high expectations for tyre performance in snow-covered and icy road conditions,” said Shinya Uchida, manager of the J.D. Power Asia Pacific automotive industry group. “In particular, winter tyre performance for tyre traction at stops and starts in icy road conditions carries a high priority for improvement.”

The study also measured repurchase intention, and revealed that the percentage of customers who say they “definitely would” or “probably would” repurchase the same brand in the future is heavily impacted by customer satisfaction levels. The percentage of customers who said they “definitely would” repurchase the same brand was less than 16 per cent among those customers whose overall satisfaction with their tyres averaged below 800 points. This percentage doubled to 32 per cent among customers whose individual overall satisfaction averaged 800 points or higher.

While winter tyre design emphasises snow and ice conditions, the particularly mild northern hemisphere winter in 2006-7 saw drivers much less likely to encounter these conditions, even in traditional high snowfall areas. Mr. Uchida sees this as an issue tyre manufacturers need to take into account when designing tyres for winter driving. “Customers are demanding better performance from their winter tyres for driving in both wet and dry regular road conditions,” he said. “To improve customer satisfaction and create stronger brand loyalty, tyre manufacturers should continue to enhance tyre performance for regular road conditions, in addition to further improving performance for snow-covered and icy roads.”

The 2007 Japan Winter Tire Customer Satisfaction Index Study is based on 3,540 responses from customers who purchased winter tyres for their private passenger vehicles (new or used, and excluding minicars) and used the tyres during the most recent winter.