Authorized dealer satisfaction with automakers increased in 2011, with Hyundai finishing in first for the third consecutive time. Korean affiliate Kia rated fourth behind Subaru in second and Lexus in third place.
The survey, conducted twice a year by the National Automobile Dealers Association, rates dealer sentiment in three areas: franchise value, automaker policy decisions that affect the dealership and the automaker’s field staff who visit dealerships.
Nearly 54% of new-car dealers nationwide, representing more 14,700 franchises, responded to the 2011 NADA summer survey. NADA represents nearly 16,000 new-car and -truck dealerships with 32,500 franchises, both domestic and offshore brands.
Mercedes-Benz finished fifth. Toyota and Volkswagen improved to sixth and seventh place, respectively. Porsche, Audi and Cadillac/Honda rounded out the Top 10.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
