J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Kia.com Ranks Highest Among Manufacturer Web Sites in Satisfying New-Vehicle Shoppers

Regular Enhancements to Manufacturer Sites Can be as Effective as Redesigns in Increasing Usefulness

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 30 -- Kia.com ranks highest among automotive manufacturer Web sites for usefulness in new-vehicle shopping, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study(SM) (MWES) - Wave 2 released today.

The semi-annual study measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer Web sites during the new-vehicle shopping process. New-vehicle shoppers evaluate Web sites in four key areas: appearance, speed, navigation and information/content.

Kia ranks highest with an index score of 872 on a 1,000-point scale -- marking a nine-point increase from the last wave of the study, which was released in January 2008. Closely following Kia in the rankings are Ford (871) and Mazda (870), with Ford performing particularly well in the appearance factor. Also performing significantly above the industry average are Honda, Jeep, Lincoln, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac and Subaru.

"Over the years, Kia has successfully satisfied shoppers with its straightforward, intuitive Web site by providing pages that load quickly and that are easy to navigate," said Arianne Walker, director of marketing/media research at J.D. Power and Associates. "By focusing on these key aspects of the Web site experience, Kia has continually met the expectations of its customers. In fact, this marks the fourth time in 10 reporting waves that Kia has ranked highest."

On average, most manufacturer Web sites undergo a major redesign every two to three years. While redesigns can eventually lead to increased satisfaction, small updates to improve critical areas on a manufacturer Web site -- such as information and content and ease of navigation -- can also positively impact the customer experience in a more cost-effective manner.

In particular, Ford and Porsche have made frequent tweaks and updates to their sites, all leading to a steady increase in satisfaction scores during the past four years, without a major redesign. Specifically, after enhancing navigation following the second wave of MWES in 2007, these manufacturers have also made significant improvements in speed since January 2008.

"Ford and Porsche provide a great example of how targeted, consistent improvements to a site can really pay off," said Walker. "With limited resources at many of the manufacturers and their advertising agencies, choosing to stick with a well-thought-out master design while consistently improving site content, framework and behind-the-scenes programming can prove not only more cost effective, but just as successful as a major site redesign in meeting the needs of shoppers."

The study also finds the following key patterns:

-- Satisfaction with a manufacturer Web site tends to increase shopper visits to the dealership, as 75 percent of shoppers who give high ratings on a site are more likely to go to a dealership to test drive a vehicle.

-- Overall satisfaction with manufacturer Web sites has increased to 849 -- eight points more than the previous wave of the study. In particular, satisfaction with loading speed has increased as manufacturer Web sites have employed a variety of techniques -- such as better navigation schemes, more aggressive caching, better page load order and pre-loading of content -- to offer rich content that loads quickly.

The 2008 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study - Wave 2 is based on evaluations gathered in April 2008 from more than 11,400 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they would be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months.

  Manufacturer Web Site Ranking
  (Based on a 1,000-point scale)

  Manufacturer            Index
                          Score
  Kia                     872
  Ford                    871
  Mazda                   870
  Honda                   868
  Jeep                    867
  Lincoln                 867
  Porsche                 867
  BMW                     864
  Cadillac                864
  Subaru                  863
  Toyota                  858
  MINI                    857
  Acura                   855
  HUMMER                  854
  Lexus                   854
  Saab                    853
  GMC                     852
  Nissan                  852
  Infiniti                851
  Mitsubishi              850
  Land Rover              849
  Suzuki                  849
  Industry Average        849
  Mercury                 848
  Mercedes-Benz           846
  Chrysler                845
  Chevrolet               843
  Jaguar                  842
  Saturn                  842
  Volvo                   842
  Hyundai                 838
  Buick                   836
  Dodge                   832
  Volkswagen              832
  Pontiac                 816
  Audi                    807
  Scion                   802

  About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion.