Economic analysis of the operating repair costs of selected vehicles of popular segments

Abstract

The article presents a detailed analysis of operational repair costs for vehicles with mileage of 30,000, 60,000, 90,000, and 120,000 kilometers. The study focused on selected automotive groups that offer at least three vehicle models within the same market segment, with the condition that these vehicles were equipped with identical powertrains-both spark ignition and compression ignition engines. The analysis was conducted in the context of repairs carried out at both authorized service stations and independent repair workshops. The aim of the study was to assess whether the operational repair costs for premium segment vehicles differ significantly from those of mass-market vehicles within the same automotive group. Furthermore, the study examined whether there is a relationship between the duration of individual brands' participation in the automotive group structure and the reduction of differences in operational repair costs. The research employed a numerical experimentation method using the AUDATEX system, which enabled the precise determination of repair costs. The differences in service costs for cars considered more prestigious compared to popular cars ranged from -20% to nearly 120%. This was most often to the detriment of cars considered prestigious, which is interesting given that they used the same engines. Service availability and market presence are important considerations, as younger brands tended to show greater differences.