Design of the top tether component for the premium car market segment: Case study of Volvo Cars

Abstract

The positive correlation between successful car design and high perceived quality is indisputable. In the highly competitive premium car market segment, the implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the strategic development plans of car manufacturers. However, to correctly define the perceived quality requirements and address market opportunities, the car manufacturers need to capture diverse customer demands. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes that are associated with the perceived quality of the premium car market segment. During the study, we evaluated the next generation top tether design concepts for Volvo Cars sedan models S60 and S90. The top tether is the part of an ISOFIX system used to connect a forward-facing child seat in a car and is a critical safety component significantly reducing potential injuries. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of different perceived quality attributes from a customer perspective. In other words, we investigated the meaning of “premiumness” for the customers, applied to the specific car component. This approach was tested on 200 respondents representing the customer target group and was performed in collaboration with Volvo Cars technical experts. Our results verify the rationality of the applied method and indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding the evaluation of perceived quality.