There are a lot of things people want to hear from car companies, but apparently "let us entertain you" isn't one of them.
One of the key selling points for automakers has been installing increasingly sophisticated entertainment systems in their vehicles.
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The various techno goodies include sound systems, streaming video, navigation, voice recognition and phones. Heck, wait a few years and your car will probably be able to give you a shave and haircut.
However, there is a certain faction that appears to be somewhat underwhelmed by a lot of this funky stuff: the customers.
In fact, for the first time in the 28-year history of the J.D. Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, there is a consecutive year-over-year decline in owner satisfaction.
On a 1,000 point scale, overall satisfaction came in at 845, down two points from a year ago and three points lower than in 2021.
Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, said that while the decline in consecutive years might look small, "it's an indicator that larger issues may lie under the surface."
What Owners Really Want
"Despite the technology and design innovations that manufacturers put into new vehicles, owners are lukewarm about them," Hanley said in a statement. "While innovations like charging pads, vehicle apps and advanced audio features should enhance an owner's experience, this is not the case when problems are experienced."
He added that the downward trajectory “should be a warning sign to manufacturers that they need to better understand what owners really want in their new vehicles.”
Built-in infotainment systems were cited as a prime example of a technology not resonating with today’s buyers.
Three of the most common uses for built-in systems are navigation, voice recognition and owners looking to make phone calls. Yet less than half of owners preferred to use their vehicle’s built-in system for these functions.
The study found that models with the Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) with Google Automotive Services (GAS) score higher in the infotainment category than those with no AAOS whatsoever.
AAOS without GAS receives the lowest scores for infotainment of the three categories.
For a second consecutive year, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) outperform internal combustion engine vehicle counterparts in fuel economy, the only factor showing improvement in this year’s study.
The overall score for gasoline-powered vehicles is 843, tied with plug-in hybrids.
In comparison, BEVs -- excluding Tesla (TSLA) -) -- increased 2 points year over year to 840 and have closed the gap in satisfaction with gas-powered vehicles to 3 points.
Tesla Scores Declining
JD Power said that Tesla vehicles are summarized separately due to their high weight in the BEV segment.
Tesla models remain ineligible for awards, since the electric vehicle giant does not allow J.D. Power access to owner information in the states where that permission is required by law.
With a score of 878, Tesla remains one of the higher performing brands in the industry.
However, the score in 2023 is 9 points lower than a year ago when Tesla was first included in the study. Satisfaction scores for Tesla have declined year over year in all 10 factors.
The study asks owners to consider 37 attributes, ranging from the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver's seat to their exhilaration when they step on the accelerator.
On the plus side, Jaguar, the luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, ranked highest among premium brands with a score of 887, while Land Rover and Porsche, a Volkswagen (VLKAF) -) subsidiary, rank second in a tie, and BMW (BMWYY) -) came in fourth.
