2004 Detroit Auto Show: Polk Announces Automotive Loyalty Award Winners
Numerous New Winners Emerge Across Segment-Level Categories for Model Year 2003
DETROIT, Jan. 4 -- R. L. Polk & Co., the automotive industry's premier tracker of consumer loyalty among owners of new vehicles, today presented the eighth annual Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards at the 2004 North American International Auto Show.
Capturing loyalty honors for the 2003 model year, which ended September 30, 2003, are BMW of North America, DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Subaru of America and Volkswagen of America.
Overall make and model level loyalty rates increased by about one percentage point in 2003, while manufacturer loyalty increased by a half- percentage point, Polk reported.
"In a time of intense competition within the automotive industry, manufacturers are doing a good job of retaining their current customer base, which significantly contributes to their bottom line," said Stephen R. Polk, president and CEO of R. L. Polk & Co.
General Motors won in the Overall Manufacturer loyalty category for the fourth consecutive year. Ford Division won in the Overall Make loyalty category for the eighth straight year. In addition, four of Ford Division's models won in the segment-level categories and five vehicles from Ford's sister divisions, Mercury and Lincoln, also won segment-level awards.
"Ford Motor Company was very successful in 2003 in terms of retaining its customers, and this success is reflected in Ford winning multiple loyalty awards," Polk said. "New vehicle designs and improvements for the Expedition, Grand Marquis, Town Car and Navigator, as well as solid incentives on all winning Ford Motor Company vehicles helped secure this strong presence."
Loyalty Awards Reveal Many New Leaders
Unlike previous model years, in 2003 there were only 5 repeat winners from 2002 within the segment level categories. New vehicle winners emerged within all segments except the Small Car, Minivan, Compact Pickup, Full-Size Pickup, and Midsize SUV categories. Across the new segment level winners, four had won prior to 2002, including the Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car, BMW 7 Series, and the Subaru Forester. "Strong players in each of these categories have re-emerged at the top of the rankings," said Melissa Mullen- Travers, manager, loyalty solutions for R. L. Polk. "Once a model ranks highest, on-going efforts must be made to remain at the top of the list, including pricing strategies and product enhancements, just to name a few."
In order to reflect the expansion of the new car marketplace, two new segment categories were added to Polk's Automotive Loyalty Awards for 2003: Prestige Sports Car and Prestige SUV. Within the Prestige Sports Car segment, Dodge Viper owners displayed the highest model loyalty rate. The Viper was completely redesigned for 2003, offering customers improved features and an updated look. Polk research shows consistent improvement in loyalty rates following an existing model's redesign. The Lincoln Navigator captured the Prestige SUV category. The Navigator also had a redesign for the 2003 model year, as well as numerous financial incentives.
Polk Manufacturer Loyalty Excelerator(TM) Report
Polk's Manufacturer Loyalty Excelerator(TM) report, which is the basis for the Polk Automotive Loyalty rankings and annual awards, is the latest insight into consumer loyalty. This report was introduced to the automotive industry in 1995 and was created to provide household loyalty information to manufacturers at many different levels. It is now used to provide loyalty percentages for the entire automotive industry and allows for cross-industry comparisons of loyalty behavior. The report measures loyalty throughout the entire model year so that manufacturers may keep abreast of loyalty trends as they occur in the industry.
The Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards recognize manufacturers for superior owner loyalty performance. Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make.
About R. L. Polk & Co.
R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, please visit www.polk.com .
Table: POLK AUTOMOTIVE LOYALTY AWARD WINNERS - 2003 MODEL YEAR
Category 2003 Winner Loyalty% Average
(* 2002 winner) Loyalty %
for Category
Overall Awards:
Manufacturer Loyalty General Motors* 67.2 54.6
Make Loyalty Ford Division* 56.6 44.5
Vehicle Segment Awards:
Small Car Ford Focus* 24.0 14.8
Midsize Car Mercury Sable 29.4 19.6
Large Car Mercury Grand Marquis 39.8 29.1
Luxury Car Lincoln Town Car 41.1 19.6
Prestige Luxury Car BMW 7 Series 31.4 24.1
Sports Car Volkswagen GTI 16.5 9.7
Prestige Sports Car Dodge Viper 31.5 16.8
Minivan Chrysler Town & Country* 26.2 16.0
Compact Pickup Truck Ford Ranger* 22.0 16.8
Full-Size Pickup Truck Ford F-Series* 37.4 34.9
Compact SUV Subaru Forester 24.5 15.6
Midsize SUV Mercury Mountaineer* 28.9 17.6
Full-Size SUV Ford Expedition 29.0 21.7
Prestige SUV Lincoln Navigator 34.5 21.8
