2010 Year-End Analysis Shows Ford, GM, Toyota Lead in Automotive Loyalty, According to Polk

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An analysis of 2010 year-end automotive loyalty rates finds Ford Motor Company ended the year with a 63.1 percent owner loyalty rate, the highest among vehicle manufacturers, according to Polk.  Ford improved its loyalty rate 3.9 percentage points over 2009 and overtook General Motors' 2009 leading position.  GM and Toyota rounded out the top three manufacturers for 2010, with 59.9 percent and 58.8 percent loyalty respectively.  Results reflect choices among 5.2 million new vehicle buying households during the 2010 calendar year, a 13 percent increase over 2009, based on Polk's analysis.

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.  Polk tracks owner loyalty monthly and works with automakers and their retailers to effectively manage owner loyalty through the in-depth analysis of automotive shopping behaviors, related market influencers and development of retention strategies.

Overall Brand Loyalty Improves; Ford Brand Leads

The Ford brand increased its owner loyalty rate by 4.5 percentage points and led all brands with an owner loyalty rate of 60.3 percent.  Industry-wide brand loyalty in 2010 was up 2.1 percentage points from 2009. This is the highest brand loyalty rate since Polk first began calculating industry brand loyalty in 1996. The top five brands and their loyalty rates for 2010 are as follows:

"Loyalty measurements are an important aspect of any customer retention strategy, but the real value is derived from the various consumer marketing and field training strategies created from the measurements," said Brad Smith, director of Polk's loyalty management practice. "Manufacturers have been placing greater emphasis on owner loyalty over the last several years and these efforts can be seen with the increases during 2010."

Luxury Brands Show Dramatic Improvement in Loyalty

Among all vehicle segments, luxury brands achieved the highest increases in owner loyalty year over year.  Land Rover had an 8.2 percentage point increase to lead the segment in 2010, while Acura increased loyalty rates by 7.5 percentage points and Cadillac was up 7.1 percentage points over 2009 loyalty rates.  These gains can be primarily attributed to double digit gains in lease loyalty for all three brands.

Model Loyalty Rates on the Rise

Model loyalty rates improved in 2010 as well, up 2.3 percentage points compared to 2009.  Overall, Mercedes-Benz E-Class led model loyalty for 2010, with Ford F-Series and Lincoln MKZ following close behind.

About Polk's Loyalty Management Practice

Polk's Loyalty Management Practice aids manufacturers and retailers in effectively managing owner loyalty through the in-depth analysis of automotive shopping behaviors and related market influencers. Polk's analyses cover the entire U.S. market, and can identify likely defectors, before they leave, providing the opportunity to re-win their business prior to defection actually taking place. The practice is solely focused on helping manufacturers and dealers in retaining their owners through our diagnostic, predictive and advisory services.

Polk's solutions identify the key areas and potential causal factors influencing owner loyalty and are applied in the sales, service, finance and marketing functions within the automotive industry.  Polk recognizes automotive manufacturers and brands for loyalty annually with the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards, which are based on analysis of automotive loyalty by model year.  The 2010 year end loyalty analysis is part of a series of ongoing reports from Polk on loyalty and buyer behavior.

About Polk

Polk is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions.  The organization 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, media companies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Michigan with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, please visit www.polk.com.

Editor's Note:  The Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards (announced in January) are based on buying behavior between October to September. The results highlighted within this news release are reflective of a 2010 calendar year analysis.

SOURCE Polk

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