Cadillac ranked average in the J.D. Power U.S. 2024 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, which measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement toward their new vehicle.
The study is compiled from participants who were asked to consider 37 individual attributes of their vehicles, such as the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat to their exhilaration when they step on the accelerator. Responses were collected from 99,144 owners of new 2024 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership, and the study was fielded from July 2023 through May 2024, based on vehicles that were registered from April 2023 to February 2024. Automakers were then graded on a 1,000-point scale, and it’s worth noting that this year, the premium segment average was 870 points, representing a decrease of one point on a year-over-year basis.
Cadillac scored 868 points, ranking eighth of 14 competitors, up from 865 points earned in the 2023 rendition of the study. Porsche led the segment with 891 points, followed by Jaguar (886), Land Rover (882), BMW (881), Mercedes-Benz (876), Lincoln (874) and Genesis (873). Meanwhile, Cadillac outranked rivals Alfa Romeo (867), Lexus (866), Infiniti (856), Volvo (856), Acura (851), and Audi (847).
This year’s study found that vehicles from premium brands tend to elicit a stronger emotional response than vehicles from mass market brands. However, participants indicated a higher rate of frustration with their vehicles’ infotainment systems, which are bloated with features that may make them difficult to use, especially among owners who are not tech-savvy. Additionally, electric vehicles built by “traditional” manufacturers such as Cadillac tend to be more appealing than EVs built by startups such as Lucid and Polestar.
“Traditional manufacturers have listened to the Voice of the Customer,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “They’re launching enhanced vehicles that are more in line with what customers want, including improved interior storage and higher quality materials, as well as ensuring features have ease of use. For BEVs, recent launches from traditional manufacturers have surpassed perennial leader Tesla when it comes to owners’ level of emotional attachment and excitement with their new vehicle.”
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