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CONSUMER REPORTS AUTO PULSE SURVEY: TOYOTA DOWN, FORD AND HONDA UP IN BRAND LOYALTY

YONKERS, NY - Car owners are generally a brand-loyal group, but Toyota's highly visible problems with quality and safety have shaken and rearranged the competitive landscape, according to repeated surveys conducted over the past few months by Consumer Reports.

The once dominant automaker that led in brand loyalty in Consumer Reports' December 2009 Brand Perceptions survey continues to lose ground, primarily to Ford and Honda, according to new findings by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Since December, there have been no changes in the rank order of the top four makes that respondents said they drive most often, nor for the make of the next prospective new car--often from another brand. However, when it comes to loyalty (will the car owner buy a new model from the same brand?) consumer preferences continue to shift.

To gauge how the volatile automotive market is changing brand preferences, the Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey using a nationally representative probability sample of households. In April, 1,704 interviews were completed among adults whose household owns at least one vehicle.

Which automakers lead in brand loyalty
Honda has the highest brand loyalty, with 68 percent of current owners likely to purchase another Honda for their next new car.

Ford has the next most-loyal owner base at 61 percent. This marks a notable 10 percent increase from just two months ago for the Blue Oval. Because of this increased loyalty, Ford bumped Toyota from its position as the brand with the second-most loyal customers.

Since December, Toyota has seen its brand loyalty decrease 13 percentage points, although the company still stands in a strong third place with 57 percent of owners saying they'll buy another. Between December and February, Toyota's loyalty dropped 10 percentage points. But the trend appears to be slowing, as the company has seen just a 3 percentage point drop since our February survey. (Note that this survey was conducted just prior to the Lexus GX 460's being given a "Don't Buy: Safety Risk " designation based on Consumer Reports testing. A fix has since been developed by Lexus and a recall is underway.)

Meanwhile, Chevrolet's and Dodge's loyalty continue to slide, from 57 and 32 percent, respectively, in the December survey to 52 and 28 percent in February and 49 and 24 percent in Consumer Reports April survey.

Car brand reputation clearly carries much sway with shoppers, though a large number of consumers can look past the company to focus on a specific model. Consumer Reports advises car shoppers to focus on buying the best car for their needs and budget based on research-not just reputation.

"Each year, we see through our car reliability survey and our testing that all automakers have some models that are better than others. And over time, performance can change, making assumptions based on past experience and reputation risky," said Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor online, Consumer Reports Cars.

To assess brand loyalty, Consumer Reports focused only on the five most popular makes the survey respondents say they currently drive: Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, and Toyota. The chart below shows how the top brands scored and details the percentage of current owners who feel they will most likely buy a new car from the same brand next time they are in the market. It compares findings from other, recent surveys conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

To understand how consumers apply their brand perceptions, CR asked when considering a new car to purchase, whether brand or car reputation was more important. Slightly more than half (54 percent) of vehicle owners said that the overall reputation of the brand is the leading factor motivating the choice of a new car, and this preference was relatively consistent across all demographic segments. Fewer respondents at 39 percent said that the reputation of the specific car model under consideration was most important.

For more information on Consumer Reports Car Brand Loyalty surveys, Reliability information and testing results check out www.ConsumerReports.org.

With more than 7 million print and online subscribers, Consumer Reports is one of the most trusted sources for information and advice on consumer products and services. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program of any U.S. publication or Web site and owns and operates a 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut. The organization's auto experts have decades of experience in driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To subscribe, consumers can call 1-800-234-1645 or visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

No secret.
Toyota quality has been dropping for the last 10 years,IMO..
Hopefully Mr Toyoda will bring Toyota back to where it was years ago.

IS-SV

Yes, most likely Toyota takes notice.

But a "brand perceptions survey" is one thing, sales results and profits are important to this auto business too.

mmarshall

With GM, it seems to be more of a fear of what the future holds than anything. GM is doing some respectable products now, especially in the sedan department (Malibu, LaCrosse, CTS, etc....), but the massive publicity of the GM bankrupcy and UAW/government takeover, like all the publicity over the Toyota problems, got a lot of people worried that their future is still in doubt, despite shedding several divisions. With Dodge and Chrysler, despite some interesting designs like the Challenger, the image (and public perception) is that the company just is not trying........it keeps turning out the same poorly-built, over-plasticized, rental-grade vehicles (even calling some of them rental-grade is a stretch). The effects of Fiat's takeover, though, are still unclear, and that could raise the public image if they start making some good decisions.

Big Andy

One good thing to come out of Toyota's problems is that all new Toyotas in Europe come with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty - a big improvement on what was beginning to look like a miserly 3 year/60 000 mile warranty.

whoster

consumer loyalty aside,

billions in profits last quarter

mmarshall

GM posted a profit for the first time in 10 quarters early this year, even with the North American operations......Europe seems to be the only place it is still losing money.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...4.story?page=2

Of course, some of that "profit" may still be owned to other parties after the buyout. Just how much GM still keeps is still uncertain.

While this is slightly off-topic from Toyota, Honda, and Ford, it may (?) soon be an inkling of increasing consumer confidence and brand loyalty once again.

STIG

I like it. It will make toyota try harder hopefully.

LexFather

I agree, they needed a kick in the nads...


Report is written by Captain Obvious

Being loyal to Honda means you really hate cars and love ugly ones with old tech

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

GM has Toyota to thank and the Obama media.

spwolf

um, no they do not... depends on the market actually.

if this survey was taken between december and feb, it is testament to the brand strenght that it scored so high. if it was GM, it would get 0%.

Turb0wned

Toyota, moving forward, even if you don't want to.. lol

All jokes aside Toyota is still the most reliable cars in the market, they will continue selling.

Big Andy

Well they do in the UK and let's face it, with Hyundai offering a 5 year warranty, and KIA a 7 year warranty they have to do something. The Koreans are chipping away at Toyota's customer base who traditionally value reliability above all. No-one buys a Toyota for it's styling or driving dynamics.

YotaCarFan

Although what people say in surveys doesn't always mesh with their actions, I do believe Toyota's brand loyalty is taking a big hit, and the bad publicity over sticky gas pedals and sashaying SUVs was simply the straw that broke the camel's back. Toyota's decontenting and sacrificing quality due to their relentless pursuit of increased profit has gotten obvious to the point loyal customers trading older models for newer ones cannot possibly not have noticed. CR is widely read, and they started dinging Toyota in 2007 (07 Camry had bad interior build quality and defective transmissions in the V6). It's starting to sink in. Now, more and more of the people who bought the non-stellar Toyotas in the 2000s are due for new cars, and they're evidently starting to notice other brands are out there.

Although anecdotal, I'm planning to get a new car this year, and am no longer just considering a new Lexus due to the numerous mechanical problems I've had with my Lemon Lexus ES and to Lexus' corporate office exhibiting supreme arrogance and dishonest claims that my vehicle is operating normally. A coworker also has an 07 ES, and she will never consider Lexus/Toyota again due to the numerous problems her car. I have two friends who are planning to go with Hyundai next time around due to bad press Toyota's been getting in CR and in the news. So, I'd say CR's claims that Toyota's brand loyalty is falling are accurate.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I believe that also.
My Toyota dealer is the #1 selling dealer in the Northeast.A friend is a sales manager.
I now get more email ads,see more full page ads in the auto sale section and sports page section in my local paper and have seen ads for bad credit people on TV which I've never saw before in the 20 years of dealing with this dealer.
No doubt,they're taking a sales hit with these recalls and bad media reports.

As far as the '07 ES,new generation vehicle are subject to problems.Especially when engines and trans are new.
I just bought a '10 RX and glad I bought 8 or so months after the debut and I'm still concerned about issues and the engine and trans is the same.