GM and Toyota ranked first in Polk's loyalty awards

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on January 26, 2007

GM and Toyota ranked first in Polk's loyalty awards

Winning 'Overall Manufacturer' in the Polk automotive loyalty awards for the seventh year in a row, General Motors (GM) has again demonstrated a strong ability to retain its customers during the 2006 model year.

For 2006, GM's customer loyalty score increased by at least 3%-points in each winning category. But Toyota was also a winner, scoring more than 3%-points higher than the previous year for customer loyalty, and taking honours in the 'Overall Make' category (for posting the highest make loyalty to an automotive division). GM also secured five additional awards including honours for its Chevrolet Impala, Corvette and Tahoe, and the Saturn ION and VUE.

Toyota was also recognised with two segment loyalty awards. Toyota Prius won the Midsize Car segment becoming the first hybrid vehicle to be honoured. Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc., was a repeat winner in the Midsize SUV segment for its Lexus RX.

Hybrid loyalty to grow Stephen R. Polk, president and CEO for R. L. Polk & Co., explained: "While hybrids continue to make up only a small percentage of the overall market, hybrid owners have been known to be very enthusiastic about their vehicles. We expect this trend to continue as an increased number of manufacturers work on adding more fuel-efficient vehicles to their offerings."

Overall for the industry, make loyalty for the 2006 model year stood at 44.4%. Other recent studies by Polk show that consumers are consistently more loyal to Asian brands (47.6%) than European (37.3%) and American makes (43.5%).

Others not forgotten Ford Motor Company was also a multi-award winner, taking honours for its Ford F-Series, Mustang and Lincoln Town Car. Other brands taking awards including Chrysler, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.

Industry report Polk's Manufacturer Loyalty Excelerator Report, which is the basis for the Polk Automotive Loyalty rankings and annual awards, was launched in 1995 to provide household loyalty information for vehicle makers.

The report also provides loyalty percentages and allows for cross-industry comparisons of loyalty behaviour. For the purpose of the report (and the awards), loyalty is defined as being when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make.

More Info: 

http://www.polk.com