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 Raffi Festekjian Female new-vehicle owners and younger buyers—those between the ages of 23 and 47 years old—are less likely to choose the same vehicle brand for their next purchase in comparison with males and older owners, according to findings in our 2012 Customer Retention Study. Continue reading ›  Leave a comment  Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, United States, Vehicle Appeal, Vehicle Performance  Brands, Customer Retention, Female Buyers, Females, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Lifestyle, Loyalty, Mercedes, Young Vehicle Owners, Younger Buyers, Younger-Age Vehicle Buyers
Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, Japan, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, United States, Vehicle Incentives, Vehicle Sales BMW, BMW 5 Series, BMW 6 Series, Consumers, Incentives, Lexus, Luxury, Luxury Sales Crown, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Premium, Sales Title
A likely reason for the double-digit increase in satisfaction is that automakers and dealers are upping their investments and renewing their focus on providing buyers with a more satisfying retail experience. All four buyer factors* measured in the new-vehicle purchase process improve this year from 2010. The most significant gain this year is in delivery process, despite the fact that the average length of time to complete the delivery portion of a new-vehicle sale has increased by four minutes, to an average of 32 minutes. We find that a major reason for the longer delivery process is the high percentage of buyers (88%) who said they received an in-depth demonstration of technology in their new vehicle (including audio, entertainment, navigation and communication systems), which results in more time spent at the dealership. Continue reading › Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, Sales Experience, Uncategorized, United States, Vehicle Sales Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dealer Salesperson, Dealership, Delivery Process, GMC, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, New-Vehicle Buyers, New-Vehicle Sales Experience, Nissan, Porsche, Sales Satisfaction, Scion, Subaru, Technology Demo, Volkswagen  Taku Kimoto Nearly half of vehicle owners in Japan say they visit the dealership where they purchased their vehicle for service needs, such as routine maintenance, shaken inspections*, oil changes, and repairs, according to our 2011 Japan Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, which is based on responses from 11,759 customers who have owned their vehicles between 15 and 50 months. Yet, after three years, the percentage of owners who continue to visit the dealer for shaken inspections declines by 15 percentage points. The study finds that customers who continue to visit the dealership for routine maintenance and shaken inspections tend to base their decision on trust in the dealership, rather than price. These customers are more likely to indicate that they were introduced to the service advisor and asked if service was satisfactory compared with customers who visit non-dealer facilities. Continue reading ›  Dave Cutting Consumer demand for crossovers (CUVs) in the US market was especially strong during the first 8 months of 2011. In fact, nearly one of every four new vehicles purchased or leased this year was a CUV. Combined sales of all four CUV segments, including compact and midsize models, increased by nearly 326,400 units from sales in the same 8-month period a year ago. More than 2 million CUVs have been sold so far this year, representing nearly one-fourth (23.71%) of industry sales, which was up 1.78 percentage points from a 21.93% market share in the same period of 2010. Compact CUVs, including mass-market and premium compact models, significantly outperformed the industry’s nearly 10% year-to-date sales gain from last year. Continue reading › Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Forecasting, Automotive Marketing, Fuel Efficiency, North American Auto Market, OEM, PIN, Retail, United States, Vehicle Sales, Vehicle Segments 2011 Auto Sales, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Brands, Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equionox, Chevrolet Traverse, Compact CUVs, Compact Premium CUVs, Compacts, Crossovers, CUVs, Female Buyers, Ford Edge, Ford Escape, Ford Explorer, Honda CR-V, Japan, Kia Sorento, Lexus, Lexus RX-Series, Midsize Crossovers, Midsize CUVs, Nissan Rogue, US, US Light-Vehicle Market Ford remained the best-selling nameplate in August and also the nameplate with the best-selling model in the US market—the F-Series pickup. Ford captured 15.4% of industry sales in August, up from 14.26% a year ago. Brand sales rose 11.7% from August 2010—to 164,843 units. Chevrolet continued to hold onto the second-highest brand share in . . . Continue Reading Ford Brand and F-Series Still Top-Volume Leaders
The study, which is based on responses from 2,795 new-vehicle owners who took their new vehicle to an authorized service center between September 2010 and June 2011, finds that satisfaction averages 35 points higher among customers who were contacted by the dealership after a vehicle service visit and asked for feedback on their experience, than among customers who report no contact from the dealership after a service visit. Post-service contact is a critical component of the entire service experience, and can help dealerships discover any issues or problems customers may still be experiencing with their vehicle. Following up, whether through a phone call, letter, or SMS text, is also an opportunity to collect customer feedback for improvement initiatives at dealerships. Continue reading › Leave a comment Asia Auto Market, Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, China, OEM, Uncategorized, Vehicle Quality After-Service Contact, Brands, Customer Service, Dealerships, Lexus, Luxgen, Mercedes-Benz, New-Vehicle Buyers, Satisfaction, Service Appointments, Service Experience, Taiwan, Volkswagen BMW and Dodge brands each receive three segment-level model awards—the most of any nameplates—in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 US Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.SM  Jon Sundberg BMW models that delight their buyers or lessees the most after the first 90 days of ownership are: the BMW X3, Z4 Roadster and 5 Series. The last time that BMW earned three segment-level awards was in our 2007 APEAL Study. Chrysler Group LLC’s Dodge brand also earns three segment-level awards. Two of the three models are redesigns—Dodge Charger and Durango—while the third model is the Challenger, which also is the highest-performing non-premium model in this year’s APEAL Study with a score of 867 (on a 1,000-point scale). This is the first time that Dodge receives three segment-level awards in a given year in the APEAL Study. Ford and Honda capture two segment-level awards each, with Ford receiving awards for the F-150 and the all-new Fiesta, and Honda earning awards for the Ridgeline and redesigned Odyssey. In addition, 10 models from an additional 10 brands receive awards at the segment level in this year’s APEAL Study. The brands with one model award each are (in alphabetical order): Chevrolet, Hyundai, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Scion, Suzuki and Volkswagen. Continue reading › One comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, Fuel Efficiency, Green Vehicles, North American Auto Market, OEM, Vehicle Design, Vehicle Launch, Vehicle Performance, Vehicle Quality All-New Models, APEAL, APEAL Study, BMW, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, Domestic Brands, domestics, Engine/Transmission Measure, European Brands, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hyundai, Hyundai Equus, Imports, Initial Quality, Japanese Brands, Land Rover, Large Premium Car, Lexus, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Redesigns, Scion, Segments, Suzuki, Volkswagen  Jon Sundberg Honda captures a total of seven model-level initial quality awards—the most of any brand this year, and the most for the Japanese automaker in any given year—according to results of the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). Lexus, which receives four model-level awards, is also the brand with the highest-performing model in the industry—the LS. Chevrolet, Ford and Mercedes-Benz receive two awards each, while Cadillac, Chrysler, Dodge and Mazda each receive one award. Continue reading › Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, Initial Quality, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, Uncategorized, Vehicle Launch, Vehicle Performance, Vehicle Quality Acura, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Compact, Crossover, Dodge, Ford, Highest-Ranked Models, Honda, Initial Quality, Initial Quality Awards, Japanese Automakers, Land Rover, Lexus, Lexus LS, Mazda, Midsize Car, Midsize Van, Models, MPV, Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Pickup, Porsche, Premium Car, Segments, Sub-Compact Car, SUV, United States Ford Motor Company recently announced that it is working on a new small engine—a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder powertrain with its EcoBoost technology. This smaller, fuel-efficient engine may reach the US market later this year in 2012 model-year cars, or will arrive early next year. Ford claims it will deliver horsepower and torque output equivalent to or better than their naturally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engine.  Mike Omotoso The engine is expected to be used in the Ford Fiesta sub-compact, and will possibly be offered as an entry-level engine in the newly redesigned Ford Focus. The Focus and the Fiesta are both selling well, but Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are getting tougher every year, and Ford and other manufacturers need to improve the fuel economy of all cars and trucks in their lineup to meet the higher miles-per-gallon requirements between now and 2016. Downsizing of Powertrains Continues to Accelerate In addition to Ford, other automakers have been downsizing their powertrains for the US market, and this trend will only accelerate in the future. The next-generation Chevrolet Malibu (2013 model year) will drop the V-6 option and the new Malibu will only be available with 4-cylinder engines. Continue reading › 2 comments Auto Dealerships, Automotive Forecasting, Automotive Marketing, Automotive Powertrains, Fuel Efficiency, Green Vehicles, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, Vehicle Design, Vehicle Launch, Vehicle Performance, Vehicle Technology 1 Series, 3 Series, 7 Series, 7-Speed Automatic, 8-Speed Transmission, Audi, Automakers, BMW, Cadillac SRX, CAFE, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 300, Downsizing Powertrains, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Ford Taurus, Fuel Efficiency, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Lincoln MKT, Mercedes, MKS, MKX, MKZ, Powertrains, Premium Brands, Smaller Engines, Technology |
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