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UPDATE: We've added the full list of winners at the end of this article
Toyota has grabbed 13 gold awards in the latest Ipsos Vehicle Quality Awards. The Ipsos Vehicle Quality Survey (VQS) was conducted throughout South Africa in 2017, involving survey feedback from 7000 owners of vehicles from 16 car brands.
Toyota achieved 13 gold awards – seven for passenger cars and six for LCVs – from 16 categories. In 2016, the Japanese automaker scooped nine gold awards.
Volkswagen was the runner-up with eight golds in 2017, collecting four in the 2016 survey. Other gold award winners in 2017, (with the 2016 score in parentheses) were: Audi, 5 (5); Isuzu, 3 (0); Honda, 3 (0); Nissan, 2 (8); Opel, 2 (1); and Ford, 2 (2).
More than one gold award was awarded in some of the categories where two or more vehicles or manufacturers qualified by achieving the same scores.
Toyota collected seven gold awards in the passenger car category, with Volkswagen and Audi each bagging five, while Honda achieved three, Opel two, and Ford and Nissan one each.
According to Ipsos: "Besides winning awards for individual models, both Toyota and Volkswagen earned gold for their passenger car manufacturing plants. Audi won the gold award for best overall passenger car brand due to Audi as a brand achieving the best combined score across all of their models. Toyota, Opel, Nissan, and Ford shared gold in the best volume passenger car brand category."
2017 Ipsos Vehicle Quality Awards:
Toyota was also the dominant player in the category for light commercial vehicles, collecting six gold awards to the three of Volkswagen and Isuzu and the one each garnered by Nissan and Ford. In the 2016 survey Nissan won five gold awards, Toyota four, and Volkswagen one.
The latest survey saw Toyota and Volkswagen each win gold awards for best light commercial vehicle brand overall, while Toyota won gold for best LCV manufacturing plant for its assembly facility in Prospecton which manufactures the Hilux amongst other models.
How the awards work
The Ipsos VQS study calculates a quality score based on customer’s feedback at about three months after they’ve purchased the vehicle. Scores reflect proportions of problems and issues reported by these customers and so the lower the score the better the quality.
The best-rated passenger premium hatch surveyed was the Opel Adam with an exceptional
score of 23. It was followed by the Honda Civic sedan (31) and Audi A3 sedan (32).
Highest-rated recreational vehicle was the Volkswagen Touareg with a score of 10. Next best was the Toyota RAV4 (33) and Volvo XC60 (36). The Toyota Hilux single cab petrol with a score of 30 fared best among the LCVs. Next best was the Isuzu KB extra-cab (56), followed by the Volkswagen Amarok diesel double cab (69).
Patrick Busschau, Ipsos automotive director commented, said: "All the participating brands are to be commended for their continued focus on delivering better products to their customers. The results are plain to see and it is no coincidence that delivering an exceptional product has a direct impact on these manufacturers’ commercial successes as well."
Busschau commented further, said: "Gold Awards winners in particular are to be congratulated for their consistent efforts in ensuring that South African motorists have world class products and are getting the value they have paid for."
Results:
Passenger cars:
Entry Level – Toyota Aygo (Gold, 44); Toyota Etios Hatch (Gold, 46); Volkswagen Up (Silver, 49); Ford Figo Sedan (Bronze, 54).
Compact Hatch – Toyota Yaris (Gold, 38); Volkswagen Polo (Silver, 50); Ford Fiesta (Silver, 54); Opel Corsa (Bronze, 58).
Mainstream Hatch - Volkswagen Golf 7 (Gold, 21); Volkswagen Golf 7 GTi (Silver, 42); Ford Focus (Bronze, 66); Opel Astra (Bronze, 68); Toyota Auris (Bronze, 71).
Premium Hatch – Opel Adam (Gold, 22); Audi A1 Sportback (Silver, 33); Audi A3 Sportback (Bronze, 53).
Mainstream Sedan – Honda Civic (Gold, 31); Toyota Corolla Quest (Silver, 57); Nissan Almera (Bronze, 58).
Compact Sedan – Volkswagen Polo (Gold, 79).
Premium Sedan – Audi A3 (Gold, 30); Audi A4 (Silver, 46).
Sport/Luxury – Audi A5 Sportback (Gold, 38); Ford Mustang GT Coupe (Silver, 51); Volvo S60 (Bronze, 67).
Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) – Toyota Avanza (Gold, 65); Volkswagen Caddy (Silver, 85); Datsun GO Plus (Bronze, 140).
Best Overall Passenger Car Brand – Audi (Gold, 46); Toyota (Silver, 58); Opel (Silver, 58); Nissan (Silver, 62); Ford (Silver, 63); Honda (Bronze, 65); Volkswagen (Bronze, 68); Volvo (Bronze, 71).
Best New Volume Passenger Car – Volkswagen Golf 7 GTi (Gold, 42); Ford Figo Sedan (Silver, 54); Volkswagen Polo Vivo Maxx (Silver, 56); Ford Fiesta ST Hatch (Bronze, 63); Toyota Etios Cross (Bronze, 66); Volkswagen Polo GTi (Bronze, 67).
Best Volume Passenger Car Brand – Toyota (Gold, 58); Opel (Gold, 61); Nissan (Gold, 62); Ford (Gold, 63); Honda (Silver, 65); Volkswagen (Silver, 68); Chevrolet (Bronze, 78).
Best Local Manufacturing Plant for Passenger Cars – Toyota SA Motors, Prospecton (Gold, 59); Volkswagen Group SA, Uitenhage (Gold, 70); General Motors South Africa, Struandale (Silver, 80).
Regular Recreational Vehicle – Toyota RAV4 (Gold, 32); Volvo XC60 (Silver, 37); Chevrolet Captiva (Silver, 38); Volkswagen Tiguan (Bronze, 50); Nissan X-Trail (Bronze, 53).
Large Recreational Vehicle – Volkswagen Touareg (Gold, 11); Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (Silver, 39); Toyota Prado (Bronze, 51); Toyota Fortuner (Bronze, 51).
Crossover Vehicle – Honda HR-V (Gold, 48); Audi Q5 (Gold, 50); Audi Q3 (Gold, 50); Nissan Qashqai (Silver, 58); Ford Eco-Sport (Bronze, 68); Opel Mokka (Bronze, 69).
Best New Recreational Vehicle – Honda BR-V (Gold, 83).
Light Commercial Vehicles:
Sub-One Ton Pick-up – Nissan NP200 (Gold, 84); Chevrolet Utility (Silver, 118).
Single-Cab bakkie – Toyota Hilux Petrol (Gold, 22); Nissan Hardbody Petrol (Silver, 65); Toyota Hilux Diesel (Silver, 66); Isuzu KB Diesel (Silver, 68); Nissan Hardbody Diesel (Bronze, 75); Ford Ranger Diesel (Bronze, 77).
Double-Cab bakkie – Volkswagen Amarok Diesel (Gold, 66); Toyota Hilux Diesel (Gold, 67); Ford Ranger Petrol (Silver, 74); Nissan Hardbody Petrol (Silver, 80); Toyota Hilux Petrol (Bronze, 86); Isuzu KB Diesel (Bronze, 87); Nissan Navara Diesel (Bronze, 93).
Extra-Cab Pick-Up – Isuzu KB (Gold, 54); Toyota Hilux (Silver, 68); Ford Ranger (Bronze, 75).
Best New Light Commercial Vehicle – Isuzu KB XC (Gold, 54).
Best Light Commercial Vehicle Brand Overall – Toyota (Gold, 56); Volkswagen (Gold, 68); Ford (Silver, 75); Isuzu (Silver, 75); Nissan (Silver, 82); Chevrolet (Bronze, 118).
Best One-Ton Single Cab Light Commercial Vehicle Brand – Toyota (Gold, 56); Isuzu (Silver, 68); Nissan (Silver, 69); Ford (Bronze, 77).
Best One-Ton Double Cab Light Commercial Vehicle Brand – Volkswagen (Gold, 69); Toyota (Gold, 72); Ford (Gold, 74); Isuzu (Silver, 87); Nissan (Silver, 95).
Best Extra-Cab Light Commercial Vehicle Brand – Isuzu (Gold, 54); Toyota (Silver, 68); Ford (Bronze, 75).
Best Local Manufacturing Plant for Light Commercial Vehicles – Toyota SA Motors, Prospecton (Gold, 63); Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, Silverton (Silver, 75); Nissan South Africa, Rosslyn (Silver, 81); General Motors South Africa, Struandale (Bronze, 90).
