Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking Methodology in the Automotive Industry : A Case Study on Geometry Appearance Attributes at CEVT

Implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the automotive manufacturers’ strategic development plans. The correct definition of perceived quality requirements is one of the significant factors influencing customer’s purchase intention. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes that are associated with the geometrical and materials quality of a premium car market segment. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of different perceived quality attributes form a customer perspective. Such an understanding can contribute to the effectiveness of the design processes in the early product development phases. This approach is tested on 144 respondents representing customer’s target group and performed in collaboration with China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) technical experts. Our results verify the rationality and feasibility of the applied method and indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding complex product development. CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0