General Motors is at the top of the list among major automakers in a recent customer loyalty analysis.
According to multinational consumer reporting company Experian, General Motors leads in customer loyalty, with 68.4 percent of new vehicle buyers in the U.S. returning to a General Motors brand (including Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC) following previous ownership of a new General Motors vehicle.
By comparison, Toyota was second in customer loyalty at 65.8 percent, while Ford was third at 64.4 percent, Honda was fourth at 63.9 percent, and FCA was fifth at 59.7 percent.
A closer look at the General Motors customer loyalty analysis reveals which brands managed to conquest the General Motors defectors (that is, new vehicle buyers who purchased a non-GM brand following ownership of a new General Motors vehicle). According to the Experian analysis, 6.8 percent of former GM owners turned to FCA, while 5.8 percent turned to Ford, 4.7 percent turned to Toyota, 3 percent turned to Honda, and 11.3 percent turned to unspecified “other manufacturers.”
The remaining 68.4 percent of GM owners returned to a GM brand, demonstrating brand loyalty.
“Loyalty uses methodologies to measure the rate of vehicle purchasers at various levels, such as the brand name, the vehicle model, the dealer, etc. when a vehicle owner returns to market (RTM) to acquire another vehicle,” Experian explains. “The metric can be applied when the purchaser acquires a direct vehicle replacement or when matched to the entire household (garage) level.”
Customer loyalty is a crucial metric for auto makers, as it provides insight into the efficacy of things like marketing and dealership service.
The latest Experian Customer Loyalty analysis was conducted using data from the August 2019 to July 2020 timeframe.
Experian also points out that total light-duty VIO (vehicles in operation) is currently at 281.6 million in the U.S., led by General Motors. Ford is ranked second in VIO share, followed by Toyota in third.
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Comments
If it ain’t a GM car, it’s not even worth driving 😉
This is a cool visualization of the data, thanks for the article.
Woo Hoo.
I have had Chevrolets since 1965. Through the good and the bad I still own a Chevy. I am currently on my 25th Chevy which is a 2017 Equinox Premier. With many of my Chevy cars I also had a K5 Silverado Blazer which I had for 25 years and ran it trouble free for 280,000 miles before I recently sold it. I would of had another new Chevrolet by now but what I wanted is either no longer built or they are to big or to small so I will wait for a bit longer. I will NEVER buy an electric vehicle. Hopefully Mary Barra won’t be around to much longer to do anymore damage to what was a great automotive industry. Mary Barra is destroying General Motors. If they wanted electric cars they should of started another division and left General Motors alone.
Yep, everybody loves the dealer service drive over and over with malfunctioning 8 speed automatics only to be told it’s just the way they are.
I’ve got the 8 speed in my Camaro and it’s pretty good. The transmission might lurch a bit from 1st to 2nd gear when you first start the car or when the engine oil is cold. But once the car warms up, the transmission drives great.
Another repudiation for the GM haters that frequently post their alternative facts. because their personal experience is, for them, the norm for every GM buyer. Or they don’t like an assertive female CEO, but are too afraid to say so. Or they don’t like [insert vehicle line/type here] that GM is selling. On and on…
Fact: GM sells more vehicles in America than any other manufacturer and has for some years now.
That and this customer loyalty survey are the facts that matter. So let’s hope the GM haters can give it a rest.
Been buying GM for over 50 years, may be coming to an end! I do not want a truck or SUV!!!!!!!!!!!
Well Experian did say this was a recent survey. From a once proud company that had 55+% market share to about 17% in 2021 let’s call me a skeptic.
They had 55% of the market when there was GM, Ford, Chrysler, Studebaker, Hudson, and Nash/Kelvinator. Imports were either high-dollar cars, or curiosities.
Now, there is GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, Nissan. Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mercedes Benz, VW Group, Volvo, Hyundai/Kia, Honda, BMW/Mini, and ones I am not thinking of. These are all mainstream makes available new even in my semi-rural area of NE Tennessee.
GM also threw away a lot of their market share by taking away the distinctions between models. Many shared the same basic chassis and bodies, but, that is where it all ended.
Chevrolet: 6, small V8, 2-speed automatic
Pontiac: 6 and straight 8, later a V8, hydramatic (4 speeds), stodgey-looking.
Oldsmobile: Powerful V8, HydraMatic, fancy.
Buick: straight 8, later a V8, Dynaflow (a form of CVT), reserved but up-market style.
Cadillac: powerful, Hydramatic, and the ‘53 through ‘56 were some of the finest looking cars ever to come out of a design studio.
In short: five different cars.
Later on, virtually the same options and drivetrains ran from Chevy up to Buick. The only real differences were the trim, badges, and price tags.