OEM NEWS

October 3, 2023

TOYOTA TOPS TESLA

Overall customer satisfaction has grown among American car buyers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI Study—highlighting the overall satisfaction based on interviews with 8,941 customers, chosen at random between July 2022 and June 2023—noted that overall customer satisfaction with the automobile industry has improved following last year’s decline with an overall satisfaction rating of 79 percent. Of mass-produced vehicles, Toyota leads with an overall ACSI score of 84 percent. Of luxury brand vehicles, Lexus remains on top with an overall satisfaction rating of 83 percent. However, following a one percent slip, they now share the top spot with Tesla. While drivers of both electric and hybrid vehicles are, on average, more satisfied than customers who drive gas-powered vehicles, EVs rank last for dependability, reliability, and have the highest complaint rate from customers.

ROBOTIC RATINGS

Audi is using artificial intelligence (AI) to test its spot welds for quality control purposes. The automaker said so in a press release at the end of June, where it announced an AI system developed and tested at its site in Neckarslum, Germany. The tech allows Audi to analyze approximately 1.5 million spot welds on 300 vehicles per shift at the Neckarslum site. The previous method, which used ultrasound, was capable of checking only 5,000 welds per vehicle, says Audi.

ROUND TWO

Nissan said that it would be recalling more than 230,000 Sentra units in the United States, plus 20,135 units in Canada, because front steering tie-rods can warp and break.This recall covers certain 2020-2022 models; versions of the vehicle first introduced in 2019. In a document to the NHTSA, Nissan states that, if the tie-rods are bent, they can be damaged, deformed and potentially affect the efficiency of steering, increasing the risk of an accident. This is the second time Nissan has recalled Sentra models for this steering issue. The OEM recalled nearly 13,000 vehicles for the problem in 2021.

VIVA VINFAST

Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast went public on the Nasdaq with a whopping US$85 billion valuation—almost twice that of General Motors or Ford, the two largest automakers in the U.S. VinFast secured a Nasdaq listing thanks to its merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition.