Another Accolade For Outgoing Ford Marque

After Jaguar received the distinction of having the highest Customer Service Index from a study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, Land Rover also managed to make its own mark in the field of customer satisfaction.  The distinction given to Jaguar mirrors the brand’s dedication to serving its consumers in terms of after sales maintenance or repairs. 

On the other hand, Land Rover was named as having the second best dealerships in terms of consumer satisfaction. A survey conducted by consulting firm Pied Piper is conducted to gauge the degree of satisfaction of auto buyers.  The study focuses on how the consumers are treated in dealerships even if they do not buy a vehicle from a particular carmaker’s facility.

The study which was released on Monday by the consulting firm based in Pacific Grove, California shows that Honda’s luxury car brand Acura sits at the top of the rankings.  The Asian brand has the most positive approach when dealing with potential customers who visit their showrooms.

According to the study, Acura is dealing pleasantly with their customers. This step on the part of the automaker known for its luxurious vehicles and parts as reliable as Chevrolet shock absorbers is an important one.  The reason for this is that the majority of consumers tend to visit a showroom first before deciding on buying a vehicle.  This means that purchases do not usually transpire during the first visit of a customer to a dealership.  That first visit is being used by Acura and Land Rover to interact well with their potential consumers.

Other auto brands that have done well in the survey are Saturn and Lexus.  With Saturn, it comes as no surprise since the dealerships of the General Motors marque is already known for its outstanding customer relations.  According to the survey, Saturn dealerships are most likely to offer test drives. This is where the ‘Side by Side by Side’ marketing campaign of the automaker comes in.  By offering consumers to test drive not only the Saturn Aura but also the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, the marque’s dealership is creating a bridge between them and their potential customers.

Lexus, on the other hand, strengthens their popularity among luxury auto buyers in the United States.  The brand is already known for the reliability of their vehicles. With good customer relations, the luxury division of Japanese automaker Toyota is giving consumers more reasons to buy Lexus.

Following Acura and Land Rover in the survey are Saturn, Jaguar, Volkswagen, Nissan, Saab, Audi and BMW.  It is interesting to note that of the leaders in the study, Nissan stands out.  While European and luxury car brands dominate the top of the rankings, Nissan managed to provide good customer satisfaction making them the sixth best of the lot.

According to the study, the larger automakers still has room to improve with regards to their customer relations.  Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Hyundai ranked just within the industry average.  Although not a bad thing for these companies, the fact that Nissan has made it to the top ten means that their fellow Japanese brand is doing something that they are not. 

American brands, on the other hand, performed poorly according to the survey. Of the twelve car brands listed below the industry average, seven are American auto brands. Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Jeep, and Lincoln along with Mazda are listed below the industry average.  Mazda is practically owned by FoMoCo.