Auto quality gap between domestic, foreign brands narrows: study

The initial quality of new domestic-made vehicles continued to improve "significantly" and the quality gap between Chinese and international brands have narrowed, a study showed.

Global marketing information services firm J.D. Power released the findings earlier this week in its 2014 China Initial Quality Study.

Now in its 15th year, the study examined problems experienced by new vehicle owners within the first two to six months of ownership in two distinct categories -- design-related problems, and defects and malfunctions.

The gap in quality between domestic and international brands continued to narrow for the fourth consecutive year in 2014, the company noted in a report.

"The domestic brands are focused on and have been successful in improving initial quality," said Tony Zhou, automotive research director at J.D. Power China operations.

"However, more marketing actions should be taken to build brand image and influence, which are other critical elements for the Chinese brands, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities," Zhou added.

J.D. Power polled some 21,000 new vehicle owners in 51 Chinese cities from April to August. The survey involved 212 vehicle models belonging to 62 brands.