Lexus, Mini are tops in sales satisfaction again, Power survey shows
4 GM brands place in top 5 of their categories
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Mini topped the mass-market brand list for a third straight year with a 712 score. |
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Consumers are increasingly satisfied with the auto-buying experience, with Lexus repeating as the top-rated luxury brand and Mini again pacing mass-market brands in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Sales Satisfaction Index Study released today.
Overall sales satisfaction among new-vehicle buyers and lessees increased to 664 on a 1,000-point scale, up from 648 a year earlier, with most of the gain from better salesperson ratings.
For perspective, all 11 luxury brands and nine of the 20 mass-market brands scored above industry average.
For the second straight year, Lexus was the top-rated luxury brand with a 737 score. Infiniti was the biggest gainer of all brands at 728, up 52 points from a year ago and moving from No. 8 in 2011 to second this year.
Cadillac, Lincoln, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz round out the next four spots, scoring above the luxury average of 716.
Mini topped the mass-market brand list for a third straight year with a 712 score.
Buick was No. 2 and GMC was third as General Motors placed all three of its mass-market brands in the top five. Fiat was No. 4 and Subaru tied with Chevrolet for fifth.
Ford, Honda and Volkswagen also scored above the mass-market average of 657, with Honda's 30-point improvement moving it to No. 8 this year from No. 12 in 2011.
While GM and Ford Motor placed all their brands above industry average, fellow Detroit 3 automaker Chrysler Group could say that for only No. 4 Fiat. Chrysler, Ram, Dodge and Jeep were in the bottom six of the mass-market brands and earned the lowest Power Circle Ratings score: two out of five. Power Circle Ratings simplify the overall numerical scores, with the top brands receiving five circles.
Only three brands -- Lexus, Mini and Buick -- received five circles this year.
More U.S. consumers are checking out dealers electronically.
This year, almost 80 percent of buyers used the Internet while shopping -- and nearly a third of those consulted online ratings/review sites when selecting a dealership, said Chris Sutton, Power's senior director of auto retailing.
"Now, neutral online ratings/review sites are playing a key role in dealer selection," he said. "Whether reviews are positive or negative, they impact buyers' willingness to visit a dealer."
Power's study used 31,386 responses among May new-vehicle buyers. It measured satisfaction with the selling process both at dealerships where they made the purchase and at any store where they shopped but did not buy.
Not surprisingly, respondents rated where they purchased a vehicle higher than where they didn't buy. But rejected dealerships made bigger improvements from 2011.
Satisfaction with the selling dealer averaged 776, up 5 points from a year ago and salespeople rated highest among four measures, above working out the deal, delivery process and facility.
But while rejected dealerships scored an average 553, that's up 28 points from 2011. Respondents rated unsuccessful dealerships on five weighted measures (listed in order of importance): salesperson, fairness of price, facility, inventory and experience negotiating.
You can reach Jesse Snyder at jsnyder@crain.com.
