Currently, competition in the luxury car market continues to intensify, and BBA is facing dual challenges from the market and distribution channels. With the increasing penetration of new energy vehicles, the advantages of fuel-powered vehicles, which have been the foundation of traditional luxury brands, are gradually weakening. Coupled with service gaps caused by the contraction of the dealer network, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are exposed to more contradictions during the accelerated product iteration period.

Against this backdrop, this issue provides an analysis of the reputation index of the three major BBA brands in July.

In July, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi remained the top three luxury brands in terms of reputation index. Among them, Audi topped the list with a brand index of 664.45, far surpassing BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Although the latter two were in the second tier, the gap with Audi was significant.

Data shows that in July, the reputation indices of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz collectively declined. Specifically, Audi and BMW's reputation indices dropped by 17.6% and 13.2% month-on-month, respectively, while Mercedes-Benz experienced the most significant decline at 23.8%.

From the monthly trends of the three major luxury brands, in July of this year, the reputation indices of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz were all lower than the previous month. Overall, after February, the reputation indices of the three brands generally increased. Audi saw a decline after reaching a high point in June; BMW and Mercedes-Benz had relatively flat monthly curves with minimal fluctuations.

From the distribution of problematic models by year in July, Audi received the most feedback on models within three years, mainly due to the accelerated product iteration cycle compressing validation periods. Additionally, as these new models dominate the market, their higher ownership rates contribute to increased feedback. Problems with Audi models over six years old also warrant attention. BMW's issues are more concentrated in the 2022-2023 models. Mercedes-Benz received the most feedback on the 2026 models, with significant issues also reported in older models.

Overall, BBA not only faces persistent issues with older models but also has concerning quality control in new models, with reputation pressure showing a trend of " Overlapping of old and new (new and old issues compounding)."

In terms of the distribution of problematic models, most of the BBA models with high feedback are high-volume mainstay models. Among them, the Audi Q3, A6L, Audi A3, and Audi A6L all made the list; the BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series, and BMW X5 were also included; the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class occupied core positions on the list.

In a horizontal comparison, most Audi models have higher issue feedback indices than their counterparts from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Specifically, the Audi Q3 has more feedback than the BMW X5, the Audi A3 has more than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Audi A6L has significantly more feedback than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series. The Mercedes-Benz GLC also saw a sharp increase in issue indices due to concentrated feedback on component defects in the short term.

In terms of the composition of complaints, the issues with the three major luxury brands are mainly concentrated in three areas: body electronics, service, and engine. Meanwhile, the distribution of issues shows distinct differences among the brands. Audi has higher feedback on issues related to body electronics, transmission, service, and tires compared to BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has been significantly affected by concentrated complaints about engine-related faults, with the issue index surpassing that of Audi and BMW. BMW's feedback on various subcategories is relatively balanced, with notable proportions only in body electronics and service.

In terms of the main manifestations of body electronics issues, Audi has more problems in this area. According to user feedback, headlight cracking and the inability of the infotainment system to connect to the internet are high-frequency faults in this category. Additionally, inadequate air conditioning cooling is a prominent issue shared by all three luxury brands.

Overall, the three major BBA brands showed significant commonalities in service issues in July, with all three having problems related to unfulfilled promises. Specifically, Audi also faced issues with transmission mechatronic unit failures and engine fault lights; BMW's main issues were mismatches between configuration and advertising and inadequate air conditioning cooling; Mercedes-Benz had problems with camshaft center valve screen detachment and the sale of problematic vehicles. In summary, inadequate implementation of service commitments and weak protection of after-sales rights are common service weaknesses currently faced by BBA.

Summary:

In July, the three major BBA luxury brands remained the top three in terms of reputation index, but their overall reputation declined collectively, with Mercedes-Benz experiencing the largest drop. All three brands showed a trend of " Overlapping issues with new and old vehicle models (new and old model issues compounding)," with high-volume mainstay models becoming hotspots for issues. The fault characteristics of each brand differed significantly, with Audi having a higher proportion of feedback on various issues, BMW's issues being relatively evenly distributed, and Mercedes-Benz's feedback being elevated due to engine batch defects. At the same time, the three brands had concentrated pain points in body electronics and service, with weak after-sales protection from dealers and difficulty in fulfilling service commitments being common issues.

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