Customer Need Analysis for Trim Levels of Automobiles Using Fuzzy Kano Model

Abstract

In today’s competitive and innovative environment, it is becoming more and more important to be able to attract customers. Especially in the automobile industry where each model can be presented with different features, determining the automobile equipment combination (trim levels) that will attract the customers the most and introducing the basic packages created in this direction can directly affect the sales. Therefore, in this study, a survey is conducted to determine customers’ attitudes towards the features included in the basic packages of automobiles. Based on the literature review, the design parameters used in the survey are determined as seat comfort, type of air conditioner, gear type, multimedia panel, keyless entry, cruise control, digital display, rear camera and sun roof. The fuzzy Kano model is used to determine trim level features that appeal to customers for different automobile segments. The results obtained are also compared with the traditional Kano model.