The firm last week released the result of four surveys on the auto sector in China conducted last year, in which consumers were asked about the quality of new vehicles, sales, after-sales service and auto performance.

Buick ranked the highest in terms of customer satisfaction with dealer services in China, while Audi outperformed others in terms of sales processing and deliveries, J.D. Power said in a statement.

In the APEAL study assessing automotive performance and layout, the Tianjin Xiali, Fiat Palio, Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord models outperformed others in their respective car segments categorized by sizes and prices.

Toyota’s Corolla and Honda’s Accord also led the mid-size and premium mid-size car segments, respectively, in last year’s initial quality study.

The other top performers in the study of new-vehicle quality included Chery’s QQ, Fiat’s Palio and Honda’s Fit, the survey found.

J.D. Power & Associates, which was acquired by global information services provider McGraw-Hill Cos. last Monday, conducted the survey in more than a dozen major cities in China last year.

China’s auto market had been growing fast, with more people buying vehicles and other durable goods, but their expectations on automobiles differed significantly with auto buyers in Western countries, said John Humphrey, senior vice president of international operations for J.D. Power.

More than 70 percent of China’s auto owners were first-time buyers, compared with only 8 percent in the United States, Humphrey told reporters.

These auto buyers seemed to be more problem-tolerant, while focusing more on prices, Humphrey said.

The largest number of problems reported by automobile owners in China are in the area of auto ride, handling and braking, comprising nearly one-fourth of all reported problems.

Car owners were most concerned about excessive fuel consumption, partly due to rising fuel prices in the past year, the survey found.

(Shenzhen Daily March 14, 2005)