Ford hasn’t enjoyed the best rankings in J.D. Power studies lately, most recently landing below the industry average in the company’s 2020 Initial Quality Study. However, the latest J.D. Power Automotive Brand Loyalty Study just came out, and The Blue Oval fared very well with an overall fifth place finish among all mass market automotive brands.
Loyalty is certainly an important aspect of vehicle ownership, particularly for automotive manufacturers. Typically, auto ownership encompasses several years, and when that time is up, automakers obviously want their customers to return for a replacement. But loyalty is a complicated thing, as Tyson Jominy, vice president of data & analytics at J.D. Power was quick to point out.
“There are many factors that contribute to brand loyalty, ranging from the experience a customer has when purchasing the vehicle to how driving it makes them feel,” Jominy said. “Automakers are really focused on customer retention, as evidenced by the payment plans and incentives they’ve offered since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Many have gone above and beyond to offer customers financial assistance during a period of economic uncertainty, which does a lot to bolster consumer confidence in their chosen brand and repurchase it in the future.”
The J.D. Power Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, now in its second year, calculates 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. The calculations are based on transaction data from June 2019 through May 2020 and include all model years traded in.
In terms of mass market brands, Ford wound up placing fifth in the rankings with a score of 54.3 percent. It ranked behind Subaru (60.5 percent), Toyota (60.3 percent), Honda (58.7 percent), and RAM (57.3 percent). Meanwhile, Ford’s cross-town rivals Chevrolet finished seventh (49.1 percent), GMC landed in 13th place (39 percent), Dodge (17.8 percent) finished in 17th place, and Chrysler (14.1 percent) came in 18th place.
We’ll have more insights like this soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet