Loyalty Keeps Vehicle Buyers Out of Market Amidst Shortages

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Loyalty Keeps Vehicle Buyers Out of Market Amidst Shortages

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Perennial brand loyalty leaders including Toyota, Honda and Lexus have each been able to grow their respective shares of loyal customers amid stagnation experienced by other brands, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty StudySM.

“Amid ongoing inventory shortages, the most loyal customers actually stayed out of the market if they were unable to get their desired vehicle,” said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data & analytics at J.D. Power. “Now that inventory levels are recovering, customers are coming back. In particular, Toyota and Honda are benefiting from increased availability of hybrid vehicles, with Honda owners swapping out their gas-powered vehicles for hybrids at nearly triple the rate of the industry average. Lexus is also benefiting from strengthened residual values, which are helping drive loyalty for the brand despite premium brands as a whole experiencing a plateau this year.”

Highest Ranking

  • Porsche ranks highest among premium brand car owners for a third consecutive year, with a 57.5% loyalty rate. Mercedes-Benz (49.0%) ranks second.
  • Lexus ranks highest among premium brand SUV owners with a 60.2% loyalty rate. BMW (55.8%) ranks second.
  • Toyota ranks highest among mass market brand car owners for a third consecutive year, with a 62.5% loyalty rate. Honda (58.8%) ranks second.
  • Honda ranks highest among mass market brand SUV owners with a 64.2% loyalty rate. Subaru (62.6%) ranks second.
  • Ford ranks highest among truck owners for a third consecutive year, with a 65.1% loyalty rate—the highest loyalty rate in the study. Toyota (60.8%) ranks second.

The study, in its sixth year, uses data from the Power Information Network to calculate whether an owner purchased the same brand after trading in an existing vehicle on a new vehicle. Customer loyalty is based on the percentage of vehicle owners who choose the same brand when trading in or purchasing their next vehicle. Only sales at new-vehicle franchised dealers qualify. The study includes brand loyalty across five segments: premium car; premium SUV; mass market car; mass market SUV; and truck.The 2024 study calculations are based on transaction data from September 2023 through August 2024 and include all model years traded in.

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.
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