J.D. Power and Associates and What Car? Report: Providing a Highly Satisfying Service Experience for Vehicle Owners May Lead to a Fourfold Increase in Customer Retention
By J.d. Power And Associates, PRNEWednesday, June 2, 2010
Lexus Ranks Highest in Satisfying New-Vehicle Owners for a 10th Consecutive Year
LONDON, June 3, 2010 - Providing vehicle owners with a highly satisfying service experience may
have a considerable impact on customer retention, according to the J.D. Power
and Associates/What Car? 2010 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study
(VOSS)(SM) released today.
(Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)
The study finds that vehicle owners who are highly satisfied
(satisfaction scores of 900 or above) with their service experience are
approximately four times more likely to return to that dealer, compared with
less-satisfied vehicle owners (scores of 800 or lower). In addition, an
increase in satisfaction with the dealer may lead to increased revenue, as
vehicle owners who are highly satisfied with dealer service are four times
more likely to consider the dealer and brand when they purchase a new
vehicle.
"If dealerships want vehicle owners to return, it's crucial to make sure
there's a focus on customer needs and that the repair work is completed
correctly the first time," said Martin Volk, senior research manager at J.D.
Power and Associates. "It's clear that providing a highly satisfying service
experience may have a considerable impact on a dealer's bottom line."
The study also finds that vehicle owners who indicate that they received
an outstanding vehicle ownership experience are approximately three times
more likely to purchase the same vehicle make than are less-satisfied
customers.
The study measures customer satisfaction with the vehicle and dealer
service based on evaluation of 67 attributes grouped in four key measures. In
order of importance, they are: vehicle appeal (37%), which includes
performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability
(24%); ownership costs (22%), which includes fuel consumption, insurance and
costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (17%).
Lexus ranks highest in satisfying new-vehicle owners for a 10th
consecutive year, with a score of 846 on a 1,000-point scale. Lexus performs
particularly well in three of the four key measures: vehicle quality and
reliability; vehicle appeal; and service satisfaction. Rounding out the
highest-ranked five nameplates are Honda (825), Jaguar (818), Mercedes-Benz
(817) and Toyota (814).
"Rising to the top of the manufacturer's ranking in ownership
satisfaction requires a concerted customer-focused approach throughout the
vehicle life cycle, from the product concept stages to servicing customers
during the ownership period," said Volk. "Earning industry-benchmark status
year after year demands an in-depth understanding on how to match and further
exceed customer expectations in an ever-changing and challenging environment
within the automotive industry."
At the model level, Lexus, Honda and Toyota each capture two awards. The
Lexus RX (SUV) and IS (compact executive car); Honda Jazz (small car) and
Accord (upper medium car); and Toyota Aygo (city car) and Yaris (small car)
each rank highest in their respective segments. Also receiving segment-level
awards are the Kia cee'd (lower medium car); Mazda MX-5 (sports car); and the
Mercedes-Benz B-Class (MPV).
While a majority of brands have increased in satisfaction compared with
2009, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Nissan all improve considerably-up 19 points,
24 points and 14 points, respectively. In addition, Jaguar improves
considerably from 2009-up 13 points-and performs particularly well in vehicle
appeal and service satisfaction. The Jaguar XF also ranks highest in the
executive/luxury car segment.
"It's a fantastic performance from Jaguar and great news for the brand,"
said Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? "It's also great to hear that the XF,
which we made our Car of the Year in 2008, has gone on to please owners
enough to make it the top car in its class."
The 2010 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) is based on the
evaluations of more than 17,000 online interviews from UK car owners after an
average of two years of ownership. The study was fielded in December 2009 and
January 2010.
The annual J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? study gives consumers
access to reliable and accurate information about many vehicle models, and
helps manufacturers provide high levels of satisfaction to their customers.
More comprehensive study results are published exclusively in the July issue
of What Car? on sale Thursday, June 3, 2010.(1)
VOSS Manufacturer Index Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
Manufacturer Index Score
------------ -----------
Lexus 846
Honda 825
Jaguar 818
Mercedes-Benz 817
Toyota 814
Skoda 813
BMW 809
MINI 808
Audi 807
Volvo 807
Volkswagen 801
Mazda 799
Nissan 794
Land Rover 792
Mitsubishi 789
SAAB 789
Industry Average 789
Hyundai 787
Citroën 782
Kia 782
Seat 781
Ford 777
Renault 771
Vauxhall 768
Peugeot 764
Suzuki 763
Fiat 761
Chevrolet 742
Top Three Models per Segment
Overall VOSS
City Car
--------
Toyota Aygo 807
Fiat Panda 804
smart fortwo 802
Small Car
---------
Honda Jazz 831
Toyota Yaris 831
Mazda 2 811
Lower Medium Car
----------------
Kia c'eed 838
BMW 1 Series 824
Skoda Octavia 824
Upper Medium Car
----------------
Honda Accord 837
Toyota Prius 834
Volvo S40 824
Compact Executive Car
---------------------
Lexus IS 839
Mercedes-Benz C-Class 823
Audi A5 817
Executive/Luxury Car
--------------------
Jaguar XF 839
Audi A6 827
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 822
Sports Car
----------
Mazda MX-5 823
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class 820
Volkswagen Eos 813
MPV
---
Mercedes-Benz B-Class 814
Citroën C4 Grand Picasso 809
Toyota Corolla Verso 807
SUV
---
Lexus RX 867
Honda CR-V 827
Toyota RAV4 823
About J.D. Power and Associates
The European headquarters of J.D. Power and Associates is located in
Munich, Germany. With world headquarters in Westlake Village, California,
U.S.A., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services
company operating in key business sectors including market research,
forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer
satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based
on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates
is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a global
information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis
in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading
brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D.
Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40
countries. Sales in 2009 were US$5.95 billion. Additional information is
available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
About What Car?
Over one million consumers consult What Car? every month. The What Car?
stable also includes the award-winning website whatcar.com, What Car? New Car
Guide, What Car? Price Guide, What Car? TV, What Car? Mobile and What Car?
Video - available online or as a video podcast. What Car? is part of the
Haymarket Media Group, the United Kingdom's largest independently owned
publishing company with a portfolio of over 150 titles, ranging from
specialist consumer magazines to business titles and customer publications,
published via wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and under license
worldwide. www.whatcar.com
Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews; J.D. Power and Associates; Director, Media Relations; 5435
Corporate Drive, Suite 300; Troy, MI 48098, USA; Tel: +1-248-312-4119;
john.tews@jdpa.com
Karen Parry; What Car? Magazine; Tel: +44(0)1784-456-526;
Mob: +44(0)7903-955-696; karen@prandmediaworks.com; karen.parry@haymarket.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in
this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. J.D. Power and Associates press releases and media information
can also be accessed at www.jdpower.com/corporate
(1) Study results published in What Car? use some segment names and
definitions that differ from J.D. Power and Associates' segmentation. These
include: supermini (for small car segment), small family car (for lower
medium car segment) and family car (for upper medium car segment).
John Tews, J.D. Power and Associates; Director, Media Relations, +1-248-312-4119; john.tews at jdpa.com; or Karen Parry, What Car? Magazine, +44 (0)1784-456-526; Mobile,
+44 (0)7903-955-696; karen at prandmediaworks.com, karen.parry at haymarket.com
Tags: J.D. Power and Associates, June 3, London, United Kingdom
