For the second straight year, the Dodge and RAM brand have taken a one-two finish in the 2020 J.D. Power Automotive Performance Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study™. This year, the brands finished in the same order with the Dodge brand taking the top spot. This comes hot off of the news, that both brands did extremely well with the J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Dodge became the first domestic brand to ever take the first position in the study and now becomes the first domestic brand to come in the No. 1 spot for two years straight.
It also marks the third consecutive year that the Dodge and RAM brands have outperformed their competition in the study, with both brands finishing a No. 1 and No. 2 ranking.
Redesigned last year to capture greater detail, the APEAL study rates the emotional bond between customers and their 2021 model year vehicles. This is determined by customer feedback on the vehicle’s attributes that cover everything from seating comfort to throttle response, during the first three months of ownership. The feedback is then aggregated on an overall 1,000 point APEAL index.
In addition, the 2021 APEAL study also named the 2021 Ram 1500 as the best vehicle in the large light-duty pickup segment. The accomplishment is the second straight year that the Ram 1500 has taken the top honor.
“I said last year that we would keep the throttle wide open, and these various results demonstrate our continuing resolve to do so,” said Mark Champine, Stellantis Head of Customer Experience, North America. “We remain on a mission to do better for our customers, and we know we have more work to do.”
In the latest study, Dodge and RAM are separated by one point with scores of 882 and 881, respectively – the same margin that divided them last year. Each brand improved by 10 points over their performances in the 2020 study – four better than the industry average, which posted a six-point gain, from 842 to 848.
Further, the Dodge Charger, Dodge Durango, Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty lineup, and Jeep® Gladiator placed second in their respective segments.
Jeep jumped three spots into a tie for eighth in this year’s IQS results, giving Stellantis three brands in the first quartile. Such performance is consistent with the mindset instilled by the company’s new Customer Experience organization, formerly known simply as Quality.
Congratulations to the Stellantis North American team and their achievements to constantly improve the customer experience throughout the vehicle’s lifespan.
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