NAFA chapters are at the heart of the organization, and offer a variety of fantastic opportunities for members - both in-person and online.
New-vehicle quality is at its highest level ever, improving a significant 8% from last year, according to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Initial Quality Study, (IQS) released today.
Initial quality in this iconic study is measured by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership, with a lower score reflecting higher quality. In this year's study, quality improves across seven of the eight categories measured, with 27 of the 33 brands in the study improving their quality compared with 2016.
Automotive manufacturers are responding to consumer feedback and producing vehicles of the highest quality, said Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive at J.D. Power. The industry has improved significantly in each of the past three years. Today's vehicles have more things that could go wrong but fewer things that actually do go wrong.
Wendy Eichenbaum’s popular monthly column is an excellent resource for those of us who are concerned with the User and Customer Experience. This month, Wendy answers the question: How do you connect with millennials? In Connect and Care --The CX Strategy for Millenials, Wendy says, "Millennials are very savvy about information and their needs. Reach out to them and address their needs. You’ll find a loyal partner in co-creation and spreading the word."
Enjoy the issue and check our website FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates on the latest news of interest to the fleet industry.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Pictured: Koen van Grimbergen, Sofico Services Australia, Eden Shirley, AutoGuru, Frank Morberger, WEX
Australian fleet operators, with more than 300,000 vehicles managed between them, attended Sofico’s inaugural innovation day for fleet operators. The event was designed to look at a number of new services, including streamlined supplier payments and more competitive rates for repairs, maintenance and tires.
Sofico also shared the news of two new strategic partnerships that it has forged in the region to introduce a number of fleet efficiencies for fleet customers.
U.S. regulators told Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in November 2015 that they suspected some of the automaker's vehicles were equipped with secret software allowing them to violate emission control standards, according to emails disclosed on Friday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board accused Fiat Chrysler in January of using the software, known as a "defeat device," to illegally allow excess diesel emissions in 104,000 U.S. 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks.
Byron Bunker, director of the EPA's Transportation and Air Quality compliance division, said in a January 2016 email to Fiat Chrysler, obtained by Reuters under the Freedom of Information Act, that he was "very concerned about the unacceptably slow pace" of the automaker's efforts to explain high nitrogen oxide emissions from some of its vehicles.