Lexus topped the list in the latest J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index.
It’s often compared to a trip to the dentist – but a new study says American motorists are far more comfortable than you used to be with the car buying process.
In fact, satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales process has improved notably from 2010, according to the latest of J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index, or SSI, with Lexus topping the chart among luxury brands, while Mini ranked highest among mass market brands for a second consecutive year.
While Lexus and some of the other high-scoring brands also lead the way in terms of quality and reliability that’s not always the case, Mini coming in well below industry average in the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality survey.
Significantly, as manufacturers have come to recognize the increasingly competitive nature of the new car market Power data show that they’ve been putting a higher emphasis on satisfying the customer as soon as they walk into the showroom door. And surprisingly, in some cases, that means taking more time with customers rather than rushing them in and out of the showroom.
Mini was tops among mainstream brands.
With Lexus in the lead, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz followed close behind in in the luxury-brand segment rankings, according to the latest SSI. The luxury brands with the greatest improvement from 2010 are Lincoln, moving from ninth rank position to sixth, and Audi, which climbed from 11th to ninth.
Buick and GMC, respectively, follow MINI in the mass market segment rankings. The mass market brands with the greatest improvement from 2010 are Volkswagen, which went from 13th rank position to fourth, Scion, moving from 11th to fifth and Nissan, moving from 18th to 12th.
The 2011 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is based on responses from 24,045 buyers who purchased or leased a new vehicle in May 2011. The study was fielded between August and October of this year.
The study analyzes the new-vehicle purchase experience and measures customer satisfaction with dealers. It also measures satisfaction with brands and dealerships that were shopped but ultimately rejected in favor of another brand and dealership.
Overall sales satisfaction averaged 648 on a 1,000-point scale this year, improving by 13 points from an average of 635 from 2010.
All measures improved notably from 2010, with the greatest gain in the delivery process, despite the fact that the average length of time to complete the delivery portion of a new-vehicle sale has increased by four minutes to an average 32 minutes in 2011 Overall, the average length of time a buyer spends at the dealership has increased by 11 minutes, to an average of 4.3 hours in 2011 – up from 4.1 hours in 2010.
A primary reason for the lengthened delivery process is the increasing proportion of buyers who are receiving more in-depth demonstrations of technology in their new vehicle, including audio, entertainment, navigation and communications features. Approximately 88% of buyers in 2011 say they received a technology demonstration at vehicle delivery, according to the survey.
“Although technology demonstrations add time to the delivery process, those explanations substantially improve satisfaction, as well as customer loyalty and advocacy,” said Jim Gaz, director of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates.
“It would intuitively seem that buyers are most satisfied when the sales process is completed in the shortest amount of time possible,” he added. “However, buyers actually appreciate it when sales staff spend additional time with them, as long as that time provides them with added value.”
Gaz said the increased technology demonstrations may also help improve perceptions of new-vehicle quality. The J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Initial Quality Study(SM) (IQS) has found that the number of buyers dissatisfied with their audio/entertainment/navigation technology systems has increased steadily between 2009 and 2011.
Some of the “perceived” problems may stem from users not understanding how to operate features, so technology demos provided by sales staff can be a powerful tool in lowering problem rates and improving satisfaction with vehicle design, Gaz said.