Toyota and Isuzu Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the

November 11, 2002 SINGAPORE; Toyota and Isuzu rank highest in a tie in satisfying automotive customers with the sales and delivery process in Thailand, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2002 Thailand Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM released today. Toyota and Isuzu both achieve the highest ranking in the 2002 study, with identical SSI scores of 822 out of a possible 1,000 points. Toyota and Isuzu are the only two makes to score above the industry average. The annual SSI Study, now in its third year, identifies six factors that determine customer satisfaction with the dealer sales and delivery process in the Thai automotive market. In order of importance, these are: salesperson, delivery process, dealer facility, paperwork, delivery timing and deal. Toyota is the only nameplate to receive above-average scores across all six factors, and performs particularly well in three areas-salesperson, dealer facility and paperwork. Isuzu's strengths are delivery process, delivery time and paperwork. While overall satisfaction with automotive dealers in the Thailand market increases by six SSI points in 2002, the gap between the highest and lowest scores in the study has widened substantially. The 15-point gap in index scores in 2001 has more than doubled to 38 points in 2002. "Although several makes have done an impressive job in making major improvements in the way dealers successfully complete the sales and delivery process, which is reflected in higher index scores, there is still room for improvement across the industry," said Gerrit Kuyntjes, general manager of the Singapore office at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. The salesperson's performance is the most important factor determining sales satisfaction, more so in Thailand than in any of the other Asian markets included in J.D. Power Asia Pacific studies. Forty percent of respondents indicate that they look to the dealer owner and salesperson as important sources of information when deciding what make and model to purchase. However, in their drive to sell vehicles, salespeople sometimes create situations in which buyers feel pressure during the sales process. Forty-two percent of new-vehicle owners indicate they experienced some form of pressure. "Given that sales pressure negatively affects sales satisfaction, efforts should be made to make sure customers feel comfortable with the sales process," said Kuyntjes. "Sales personnel should understand the needs and expectations of customers and tailor their sales technique so that those customers have a positive sales experience." The 2002 Thailand SSI Study is based on customer evaluations from more than 2,100 new-car and light-truck owners surveyed at three to five months of vehicle ownership. The study is designed to provide an objective measure of customer satisfaction with the automotive sales and delivery process in Thailand.