(June 17, 2011) MUNICH  — Satisfaction among owners of two-year-old vehicles in Germany has declined from 2010, as has industry-wide performance in vehicle quality and reliability, vehicle appeal and service satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Germany Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study released today.

At the segment level, Mercedes-Benz models received three awards for the C-Class (compact executive car); E-Class (executive luxury car); and M-Class (SUV).

Mazda received two awards, for the MAZDA2 (small car) and MAZDA3 (lower medium car). The MAZDA3 achieved the highest score of any model in the 2011 study. Also receiving segment-level awards were the Fiat 500 (city car); Ford S-MAX (MPV); and Honda Accord (upper medium car).

Volvo ranked highest in vehicle owner satisfaction among manufacturers with a score of 841 and performed particularly well in the vehicle appeal measure. Following Volvo in the rankings was Mercedes-Benz (839), which also performed particularly well in the vehicle appeal measure. Rounding out the five highest-ranked brands were Mazda (831), MINI (827) and Honda (824). Mazda performed particularly well in the quality and reliability measure.

The study was based on more than 17,000 owner evaluations of their vehicles and dealers across 67 attributes grouped in four measurements of satisfaction.

In order of importance, they were: vehicle appeal (32%), which includes performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (26%); ownership costs (22%), including fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (20%).

Overall satisfaction among vehicle owners in Germany has declined to an average of 807 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2011, compared with 813 in 2010. Only the ownership costs factor has improved from 2010, with a modest increase of three points.

A nine-point decline in the vehicle quality and reliability factor is primarily due to a notable increase in reported problems. In 2011, the rate of reported problems increased by 12 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) from 2010, mostly in the areas of vehicle exterior and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

“The decline in vehicle quality and reliability, coupled with the decline in vehicle appeal, is an important reminder to manufacturers that the product is a critical driver of ownership satisfaction and will remain a key differentiator among brands in the increasingly competitive automotive market in Germany,” said Brian Walters, senior director of European automotive operations at J.D. Power and Associates.