Perceived Quality (PQ) has always been the crucial link between engineering and customer perception. For OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, the PQ area essentially has two main tasks:

• 1. Know the benchmark —to understand exactly which products, features, and trends are currently perceived as high-quality in the market.
• 2. Secure internal projects —to ensure that new products are designed from the outset so that perceived quality can be measured, tracked, and managed throughout the entire development process.

Both areas generate large volumes of data, evaluations, and optimization potentials. It is crucial to create transparency, set the right priorities, and make decisions based on reliable facts.

Trends shaping Perceived Quality today

In 2025, perceived quality from the customer’s perspective is about much more than flawless panel gaps:

• Sustainability and circularity Materials, carbon footprint, and recyclability are central quality attributes for many buyers.
• Software quality and HMI: Stability, user-friendliness, and updatability influence the perception of premium quality just as much as craftsmanship quality.
• Practicality & TCO: Charging speed, serviceability, and resale value are decisive factors for customers.
• Multisensory experience: Haptics, acoustics, scent, and lighting shape the first impression—and thereby influence purchasing decisions.

For PQ departments, this means that benchmark analyses must become broader, deeper, and faster. At the same time, internal projects require transparent processes that reflect and make these requirements traceable.

QTRIX as a PQ 4.0 enabler

This is precisely where QTRIX comes in: a platform that unifies car clinics, product audits, and project management in a global solution.

1. Understand the benchmark

• All market data as well as car clinic and audit results are available centrally.
• Global teams access the same central data repository—while finely graded, role-based access rights ensure that each person only sees what they are authorized to view.

2. Manage internal projects

• Tracking of PQ issues Issues identified during audits are recorded, tracked, and assigned directly within the system.
• Automated workflow management Tasks are created and automatically forwarded via email to the responsible colleagues. Automatic reminders notify teams when deadlines are exceeded.
• Prioritization and transparency: Dashboards provide an at-a-glance view of which actions need to be prioritized.
• Target scores: PQ objectives can be monitored throughout the entire development process—from the concept phase to the final product—including transparent target/actual visualizations.
• Central global overview: All issues can be displayed in a central overview or filtered by project—including complete history, clear responsibilities, and transparent status tracking.

3. Intelligent support through AI

• An integrated AI chatbot assists with data analysis, uncovers hidden patterns, and provides insights that would not be apparent from raw data alone.
• This allows teams to focus on optimization—instead of spending time searching for and cleaning data.

Digital capture instead of paper – Subjects document directly via tablet or mobile phone, including photos, videos, and voice.

Granular data capture – Highlights and issues are recorded immediately, then automatically classified (PQ attributes, components, interior zones).

AI-supported analysis – Patterns and correlations become visible, deviations are immediately recognizable.

Knowledge management – All data flows into a central database with full-text search, filters, and a lessons-learned function.

Lifecycle connectivity – Integration of car clinics, product audits, and customer feedback in series production.

PQ issue tracking & workflow management – issues identified during audits can be tracked seamlessly in the system. Tasks can be created directly and automatically forwarded by email to the responsible colleagues. Individual process phases and roles can be defined flexibly. All open and closed PQ issues are visible at a glance, and reports can be generated automatically and exported as PPT – perfect for project reviews or management presentations.

Example from practice

Imagine a vehicle audit documents 50 PQ issues. Traditionally, these would have been collected in Excel lists – with unclear responsibilities and a high risk of incorrect prioritization.

With QTRIX:

• Every issue is recorded in the system, automatically assigned to a responsible person, and given a deadline.
• All issues are integrated into the global database and are visible to all relevant teams.
• Dashboards show which issues have the greatest impact on the Final Product Score .
• If deadlines are exceeded, automatic reminders are triggered.
• Project leads can create a PPT export with the current status at any time – ready to use for reviews or management meetings.

Conclusion

Perceived Quality 4.0 has long meant more than just collecting customer feedback – it's about managing knowledge globally and implementing it effectively in development projects.

With QTRIX:

• Car clinics and benchmark analyses become faster, more transparent, and accessible worldwide.
• Internal projects are managed from the outset using measurable target scores.
• PQ issues no longer disappear into spreadsheets but are tracked seamlessly through to resolution.
• AI-powered insights help identify trends early and steer decisions specifically in the right direction.

This makes QTRIX the foundation for PQ departments worldwide to work more efficiently – creating space for what really matters: the optimization and continuous improvement of perceived product quality.