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J.D. Power and Associates and AUTO TESTS Report: Honda Ranks Highest for a Second Consecutive Year in Satisfying
Vehicle Owners in Germany
Toyota’s Prius Remains the Most Satisfying Model to Own in Germany
Munich: 20 June 2008—For a second consecutive year, Honda ranks highest among automotive brands in satisfying new-vehicle owners, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Germany Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released today in cooperation with AUTO TESTS.
Now in its seventh year, the study examines customer satisfaction with new vehicles and vehicle service after two years of ownership. Owners provide detailed evaluations of their vehicles and dealers, which cover 77 attributes grouped in four measurements of satisfaction. In order of importance, they are: quality and reliability (30%); vehicle appeal (25%), which includes performance, design, comfort and features; dealer service satisfaction (23%); and ownership costs (22%), which includes fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair.
In the nameplate rankings, Honda leads with a customer satisfaction score of 849 on a 1,000-point scale. Honda performs particularly well in service satisfaction. Following Honda in the rankings is BMW with 845, an increase of 13 index points from 2007. BMW performs well in appeal, and quality and reliability. Toyota, Audi, Mazda, Daihatsu, Mercedes-Benz, Skoda, Volvo and Nissan also perform above the industry average in overall customer satisfaction.
“Overall satisfaction is at its highest level since the launch of the study in 2002, improving by 48 index points from 2002 to 815 in 2008,” said Martin Volk, senior research manager at J.D. Power and Associates in Europe. “More customers report being ‘delighted’ rather than merely satisfied, which could lead to financial benefits for manufacturers. For example, customers who are particularly pleased with an exceptional product and service experience are more than twice as likely to repurchase the same vehicle brand compared with those with lower satisfaction levels.”
With an index score of 888, the Toyota Prius ranks highest among all models in the study for a second consecutive year. The Prius performs particularly well in the ownership costs, and quality and reliability measures.
“A hybrid car leading the customer satisfaction rankings for a second year indicates the industry’s shift to more environmentally friendly vehicles,” said Olaf Schilling, chief editor of AUTO TESTS. “The Toyota Prius receives high ratings from customers in fuel consumption, which will become more of a factor in overall satisfaction as fuel prices increase.”
Toyota captures three top model awards, while Honda and BMW each earn two.
The highest-ranked models in each of the study’s seven segments are: - Toyota Aygo (basic car)
- Honda Jazz (small car)
- Honda Civic (lower medium)
- Toyota Prius (upper medium)
- BMW 5 Series (executive/luxury), which earns an award for a second consecutive year
- Toyota Corolla Verso (MPV), which earns an award for a fourth consecutive year
- BMW X3 (SUV)
The 2008 Germany Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study is based on the evaluations of more than 19,000 car owners in Germany after an average of two years of ownership. The study includes 23 brands and 103 models. J.D. Power and Associates conducts CSI studies around the world, including Europe (France, Germany, United Kingdom); North America (Canada, Mexico, United States); Asia Pacific (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand); and Africa (South Africa).
A summary overview can be found in the June 20, 2008 edition of AUTO BILD. More comprehensive study results are published in the June 25, 2008 issue of AUTO TESTS.
About J.D. Power and Associates
With European offices in Guildford, UK, for research operations, and Munich, Germany, for client support and consulting solutions, and 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, training 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 leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
About AUTO TESTS
AUTO TESTS is a member of the international AUTO BILD group published by Axel Springer. Since 2003, AUTO TESTS has been the leading special interest magazine for readers who are planning to buy a new car. More than 500 cars are tested each year, with more than 1.8 million kilometers driven to provide readers with detailed and objective model reviews to help them choose the best car for their money. Readers can also find tips on cutting running costs, used cars, service, finance and accessories.
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. www.jdpower.com/corporate
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What does J.D. Power and Associates do?J.D. Power and Associates' research, consulting, and performance improvement services are used by a variety of industries to improve product quality and customer satisfaction. The firm's research is based solely on responses from millions of consumers and business customers worldwide. Product and service rankings that result from this research reflect the opinions of consumers and business customers-not the opinion of J.D. Power and Associates. Rankings are derived from nationally syndicated studies that serve as industry benchmarks for measuring and tracking quality and customer satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates conducts the research, publicly announces the results, and then offers analysis based on consumer feedback to product and service providers to help them improve their businesses.
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