Toyota models rank highest in satisfying customers in Germany in four of seven individual vehicle segments, while Mazda models rank highest in two segments and Volvo ranks highest in one segment, according to the JD Power and Associates 2006 Germany customer satisfaction index study.
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The study, published in cooperation with auto motor und sport /AUTOStrassenverkehr, measures overall ownership satisfaction with two-year-old vehicles in Germany.
The top cars in each of the study’s seven segments are: Toyota Yaris (small car), • Toyota Corolla (lower medium), Mazda6 (upper medium), Volvo V70 (executive/luxury), Mazda MX-5 (sports car), Toyota Corolla Verso (MPV) and Toyota RAV4 (SUV).
Toyota leads the industry as the most satisfying brand to own for a fifth consecutive year, receiving an index score of 851 points on a 1,000-point scale. It also receives the highest ratings from customers in quality and reliability and service satisfaction and also performs well in vehicle appeal and ownership costs.
Honda improves three rank positions from 2005 to follow Toyota in the nameplate rankings, receiving an index score of 838 points. Mazda ranks third overall with an index score of 834 points and also produces the highest-ranking model in the study, the 6 (861 index points). Also performing at or above the industry average are Subaru, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Audi, BMW, Daihatsu, Škoda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Opel and Ford.
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By GlobalDataAmong brands performing above the industry average, Subaru is the most improved compared to 2005, followed by Honda. Mini is the most-improved European brand, recording strong improvements in quality/reliability and service satisfaction. Audi has seen improvements in several areas, especially in vehicle quality and customer service and it continues to perform particularly well in vehicle appeal. Audi ties with BMW as the highest-ranked German brands in the 2006 study.
“While the performance of the Japanese brands continues to impress, it is encouraging to see customer service improvements made by many European brands in 2006,” said JD Power and Associates Europe research manager Martin Volk. “The improvements made by both Audi and Mini especially in the areas of vehicle quality and customer service reflect the broader improvements that European brands are making in meeting the expectations of consumer wants and needs.”
The overall industry average has declined for the first time in the study’s history, declining to 795 points in 2006—down only slightly versus 2005 (800 index points). However, the overall industry average has notably increased since the study’s inception in 2002, when it averaged 767. While satisfaction with dealer service has improved, satisfaction with vehicle appeal and ownership costs have contributed to the negative trend in 2006.
“We anticipated that satisfaction with the cost of ownership would be under some pressure—mostly reflecting the strain put on consumers due to increased fuel costs,” JD Power noted. “It is particularly impressive to see consistent improvements in the area of service satisfaction since the first Germany CSI Study. While over the past few years this improvement was mainly the result of more rigorous dealer standards being pushed by manufacturers, it now becomes obvious that the concentrated efforts of many brands represented in Germany to improve key service performance areas such as fixing vehicles right the first time are finally showing the intended impact.”
The 2006 Germany study is based on the responses of more than 22,200 vehicle owners who rated their experiences with their vehicles, their dealers and the cost of ownership. The study provides information regarding 28 ranked brands and 126 ranked models after an average of approximately two years of ownership.
