According to J.D. Power, advanced technologies have seen an increased usage rate among Chinese brands, albeit at different levels. The biggest uptick were parking assistance and even interior gesture controls—each increasing by a whopping 17 percentage points.

Having said that, automakers in China are cautious of introducing advanced technologies. For example, the installation of smartphone-based digital keys and dynamic driving assistance technologies (adaptive dampers and the like) have increased by less than one percent in the past two years.

The cautiousness probably had to do with numerous customer complaints surrounding in-car technology. Among the highest level of complaints are: camera rear-view mirror (18.5 problems per hundred vehicles, or PP100); remote parking (17.7 PP100); and touch ID (16.8 PP100). Complaints about camera rear-view mirror and remote parking are primarily due to inconsistency/inaccuracy and complaints about touch identification are due to difficult to understand/use.

Moreover, owner satisfaction with the effectiveness (rating of 7.14 on a 10-point scale), responsiveness (7.15), and usefulness (7.16) of smart driving-related features are the lowest among all seven measurements included in the study. Similarly, owner satisfaction with intelligent cockpit-related features is lower in effectiveness (7.21) and responsiveness (7.22) as well, and are only slightly better than interface appearance (7.20).

The 2021 study is based on responses from 32,141 ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between June 2020 and March 2021, as well as 3,976 NEV (New Energy Vehicle or battery electric vehicles) owners who purchased their vehicle between September 2020 and March 2021. The study includes 264 ICE vehicle models from 58 brands and 50 NEV models from 28 brands and was fielded from December 2020 through May 2021 in 70 major cities across China.

Mercedes-Benz ranks highest among luxury ICE vehicles, with a score of 550. BMW and Porsche rank second in a tie, each with a score of 534. WEY, a Great Wall brand ranks highest among mass market ICE vehicles with a score of 549, followed by Lynk & Co. (532), and FAW Hongqi (521). The highest placed Chinese brand available in the Philippines is Chery at fifth (514), while GAC is at thirteenth (502). Geely did not place above the industry average (check out the full list below).

XPeng ranks highest among mass market NEVs, with a score of 615. Tesla (597) ranks second and Li Auto (577) ranks third. In the luxury NEV segment, criteria for awards were not met, thus no awards are given this year.

The study, now in its second year, focuses on new-vehicle owners’ perceptions of 42 in-vehicle technologies, 26 of which are advanced technologies when first introduced in the market. The TXI Innovation Index measures how effectively each automotive brand brings these technologies to market. The index combines the level of adoption of new technologies for each brand with the excellence in execution. The execution measurement examines how much owners like the technologies, and how many problems they experience while using them.