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Raffi Festekjian Several major nameplates have performed well in dependability, but still face challenges with customer perceptions of their models’ reliability, when analyzing results from J.D. Power’s 2008 Avoider and VDS Studies* in comparison with the same studies in 2012. Although Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai and Lincoln have achieved consistently strong levels of . . . Continue Reading Perceived Reliability Still Lags Actual Dependability for Some Brands  Leave a comment  Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, United States, Vehicle Dependability, Vehicle Quality, Vehicle Sales  automotive, Buick, Cadillac, Customer Perception, Dependability, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln, New-Vehicle Buyers, Reliability, research, Vehicle Models
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 Recent news reports on US auto sales suggest that consumers entered showrooms in September partly to replace aging models. Light trucks were the best performers in the month, and crossovers (+20%) continued to set the pace, along with demand for large pickup (+24.7%) and large SUVs (+45.4%). Customer cash rebate amounts were down an average of 10% from August, according to Power Information Network® (PIN) retail transaction data. Chrysler’s Ram truck brand posted stellar gains (+42%), and GM’s Chevrolet (+21.6%) and GMC (+27.9%) brands also reported increases in large pickup and CUV deliveries—especially for the Chevrolet Silverado and Equinox, and the GMC Sierra and Terrain. Continue reading › Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Forecasting, Automotive Marketing, Fuel Efficiency, North American Auto Market, OEM, PIN, United States, Vehicle Sales, Vehicle Segments Chevrolet, Chevrolet Cruze, Crossovers, CUVs, Equinox, F-Series, Ford, GMC, Honda Civic, Large Pickups, Lincoln, Ram, Sierra, Silverado, Terrain, Toyota Corolla
Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, Fuel Efficiency, Initial Quality, Mexico, North American Auto Market, OEM, Retail, Vehicle Appeal, Vehicle Dependability, Vehicle Design, Vehicle Quality Audi, BMW, Brands, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes, Mexico, Mini, Models, Segments, Suzuki, Toyota, Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction, Volkswagen 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 In spite of Hurricane Irene’s lingering effects on the East Coast, including power outages and flooding, and a continued slowing of the US economy, which has hurt consumer sentiment, August US light-vehicle sales totals from a number of automakers were slightly stronger than anticipated. All three Detroit-based automakers posted sales increases from August of last year, which had one less selling day. Both General Motors (+13.5%) and Fiat-Chrysler Group (+25.6%) deliveries were up in double digits, and Ford Motor Co.’s sales improved in the high single digits (+6.9%). GMC, Jeep, Lincoln Outpace Industry GMC (+35.1%) was the sales leader in terms of percentage gains among General Motors’ core brands, and sales of the Chevrolet Cruze compact passed the 20,000-unit sales mark for a fifth consecutive month, which likely made it one of the 10 best sellers in the US market. Chrysler’s Jeep brand sales increased by nearly 52% from last year as the automaker’s brands were helped by a 90-day-postponed-payment incentive on some models. Ford Motor Company said both Ford Explorer and Fiesta deliveries were strong, while Lincoln brand deliveries were up in double digits (+19.8%) from a year ago. Ford F-Series totals slipped slightly on a selling-day-adjusted basis*, although more than 48,000 large Ford pickup trucks were delivered and 41% were equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, according to Ford. Continue reading › Leave a comment Auto Dealerships, Automotive Marketing, Fuel Efficiency, North American Auto Market, OEM, United States, Vehicle Distribution, Vehicle Production, Vehicle Sales Asian Automakers, August, Automakers, Best-Sellers, Chevrolet Cruze, Chrysler, Detroit-based Automakers, European Automakers, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford F-Series, Ford Fiesta, GM, GMC, Honda, Honda CR-Z, Hyundai, Japan, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Nissan Altima, OEMs, Toyota, US Economy, US Light-Vehicle Sales, US Sales In early June, Ford Motor Company announced that its next generation of hybrid vehicles, including a new plug-in hybrid that will launch in 2012, will have a Ford-engineered transmission that will be built in Michigan. The new transmission replaces one that is made in Japan for current Ford and Lincoln hybrids. However, even though . . . Continue Reading Ford to Produce Transmission for Plug-in Hybrids in Michigan 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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