Nissan to overhaul quality control, will focus on perceived quality and ‘soft’ quality

Nissan Quest

In an attempt to catch up to its Japanese and Korean rivals that have been boasting better customer satisfaction, Nissan will unveil a new plan in November to overhaul quality control.

According to Kazumasa Katoh, senior vice president in charge of global quality, the new strategy will focus on two years where the company will focus on two areas where it trails the competition. Those areas include perceived quality and soft quality, or the customer perception of quality through touch and feel, fit and finish and intuitive ergonomic controls.

Katoh said that the move to better quality was spurred by Nissan’s subpar performance in the recent J.D. Power and Associates study. In J.D. Power’s 2011 Initial Quality Study, Nissan fell 12 spots to No. 24.

“On Nissan’s side, we were surprised” by the survey results, Katoh said. “On the defects side, we have improvement. But on the dissatisfaction we have deterioration.”

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News