Car Perception Lags Reality?

Toyota and Honda brands are the best!

This is what consumers perceive according to Consumer Report’s (CR) 2008 Brand Perception Survey. They have surveyed 1,720 adults who owns at least one car. These two Japanese auto brands ranked first and second when it comes to safety, quality, value, performance, environmental friendliness, design and technical innovation. But there is a wide margin between the two. Ford, Chevy and GMC ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively in the said survey.

But John Bulcroft, who is a former Audi and Porsche marketing executive and now with The Advisory Group that deals with consumers perceptions said that perceptions should not be confused with reality. He conducted a survey with Toyota consumers and resulted that they were unsatisfied with it. He also said that perception covers up reality and it is what happening to Toyota. He further added that it takes a long time to build a perception of quality but only so short for it to drop and it is so fast. It happened that way because of word of mouth and blogs. CR noted that in the seven categories they’ve surveyed on, Toyota ranked first in quality. But in a recent study about predicted reliability and long-term performance it goes down to number five.

So what so does this mean, before buying cars we do not have to base solely from the perception of others. Although it still be considered as a factor. Maybe we can ask experts of our friends, skilled mechanics and other trusted people who own a car that you like to buy. In this way, you avoid yourself from regrets and dissatisfaction. Thanks to Jim Mateja of cars.com for sharing this news….All I can do is share this too to others. Maybe it can serve as a warning. I’ll tackle more about the survey next time.