Toyota has topped the latest ranking of corporate loyalty in the US conducted by Experian. For the Q2 2012 Experian Automotive Loyalty and Market Trend analysis, Toyota’s corporate loyalty increase from 41.6% in Q2 2011 to 47.3%. This marks the first time Toyota has led the rankings since Q3 2009. Corporate loyalty is a reflection of the percentage of owners whose vehicle purchase was one of the brands under the same corporate umbrella as their previous purchase.
“Toyota has done an outstanding job of regaining customer trust and getting repeat customers into showrooms,” commented Jeffrey Anderson, Director of consulting and analytics for Experian Automotive. “To restore normal operations and regain customer trust in such a short time following the earthquake and tsunami is a truly remarkable comeback.”
Following Toyota in the top rankings of corporate loyalty are General Motors (46.2%), Ford (46%), Hyundai Motor (45.3%) and Honda (43.1%).
The results of the Q2 study come fast on the heels of another massive recall from Toyota. The OEM is recalling more than seven million vehicles worldwide over faulty electric window switches. This is the biggest single recall since Ford recalled eight million vehicles in 1996 over Bridgestone tyres fitted to its Explorer SUV. The Japanese OEM has put a heavy emphasis on quality since its well-publicised recall debacle in 2009 over sticky accelerator pedals.
Experian also examines brand loyalty, which measures the percentage of owners of a specific model whose next purchase was from the same overall brand. GM’s Chevrolet Sonic topped the rankings with a 60.1% score, i.e. 60.1% of Sonic owners who returned to the market bought another Chevrolet vehicle. Ford models filled out the remaining top five spots: Ford Fusion (59.9%), Ford Flex (55%), Ford Edge (54%) and Ford Five Hundred (52%).
