Konstantinos Stylidis

Perceived quality and the core values in the automotive industry: A corporate view

This study explores how professionals from the Volvo Car Group and Volvo Group Truck Technology understands their company’s core values and transfers these into perceived quality attributes. Traditionally, both of the companies share the same core values: Quality, Safety, Environmental Care, but they transform these values in different ways due to different customer needs. In general, technical quality has been one of the key features in the automotive industry premium segment for many years, but in recent years, it has shifted from being the primary purchasing criterion into being a basic requirement. Today, maintaining a forefront position in the premium segment of the car industry can only be achieved by delivering products that are perceived by the customers as high-quality products. Perceived quality becomes a cutting edge in the competition between car manufacturers. The purpose of this study is to investigate emerging industry trends and make steps towards elicitation, objectification and distribution of issues regarding perceived quality.