J.D. Power, Harman Will Garner Car Consumer Insights in New Way

J.D. Power and Harman are teaming up for what’s billed as a first step in matching consumer insights with data that comes straight from a vehicle.

The matched and analyzed information will enable automakers to assess how consumers’ perceptions pair with actual vehicle performance, according to the two companies.

Automakers will get more accurate feedback which, in turn, will lead to more relevant product development, says J.D. Power spokesman Geno Effler.

The stated goal is for OEMs and suppliers to use the data to enrich customer experiences, better solve problems and identify what consumers want from their increasingly automated vehicles, allowing the industry to bring desired features and functions to market faster.

“Having been on the OEM side for most of my career, I know the industry has been looking for this kind of solution for a long time,” says Doug Betts, J.D. Power’s senior vice president-Global Automotive. He formerly oversaw quality control for Chrysler.

“It was easy to dream, but getting it done takes a skill set that no single company has,” he says. “The alliance of our two companies can credibly deliver the dream of merging consumer and vehicle data to provide a clear view of cause and effect.”

For 50 years, J.D. Power has provided automotive consumer insights based largely on consumer surveys. It says its collaboration with Harman will amp up the measuring of consumer insights. “It is definitely a new direction for J.D. Power,” Effler tells WardsAuto.

Harman is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, a provider of connected technologies including hardware, software and machine learning.

Harman’s role is to analytically collect driver usage patterns. Combined with J.D. Power consumer data, the desired result will be functional-level insights into how consumers interact with the systems and what they may want from the in-car experience.

Asked for examples of how the joint analytics would work, Effler cites potential instances of owners complaining about awkward shifts – whether too soon or too late – between specific gears. “We can compare that consumer input to real data of shift points occurring at specific rpms.”

Another example centers on voice recognition, he says. “Owner complaints could be compared with data that shows how and when they’re actually using voice recognition.

“If they eventually give up using voice recognition, we can tell what buttons they’re using to make calls. Also, we can tell if they’re using native voice recognition or Siri. This can tell OEMs where sticking points.”

In cooperation with OEMs, data only will be collected from consumers who opt in. The data will be anonymized and aggregated to protect consumer privacy.

“We are set to realize the exciting potential of connected cars, including enhanced safety, greater performance and more immersive and personalized experiences,” says Sanjay Dhawan, Harman’s chief technology officer.