Cars and Drivers

Fiat Gets Destroyed by More Research

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: July 30, 2016 9:10 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 5:06 am

The Fiat brand of Chrysler Fiat Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) continues to be decimated by research that shows a deeply negative perspective on quality, layout and performance. The most recent example is that Fiat finished next to last in the new J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. All four of Fiat Chrysler’s brands ranked below average.

The survey:

… measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement across 77 attributes, ranging from the power they feel when they step on the gas to the sense of comfort and luxury they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat.  These attributes combine into an overall APEAL Index score that is measured on a 1,000-point scale.  The importance of these results cannot be overstated.

Based on a 1,000-point scale, Fiat drew a score of 755, against an industry average of 801. Jeep’s figure was 756, Chrysler’s 774 and Dodge’s 791. The company’s pickup brand, Ram, scored 803.

At the other end of the list, Porsche had a grade of 877, followed by BMW at 859 and Jaguar and Mercedes at 852.

Fiat U.S. sales continue to be grim. In June, sales were down 19% to 2,544, and for the first half down by 19% as well to 17,735. If not for the success of the 500X, the numbers would be much worse.

Maybe it is time for Fiat to get out of America.

Methodology: The 2016 U.S. APEAL Study is based on responses gathered from February through May 2016 from more than 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2016 model-year cars and light trucks who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.