Customers are a commodity in the automotive industry, and like any other commodity, automakers trade them back and forth. Only nobody wants to give up their customers – just to keep the ones they have and try to attract others.
That’s what the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards are all about. Every year the industry research body names the automakers, brands and models that manage to keep their customers coming back for more – and attract buyers to switch from other makes. Ford usually does pretty well, but this year it rose above even its own track record.
Not only did Dearborn win the Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer award, but also the Overall Loyalty to Make. Ford also took the African American category, and the F-150 was named the top full-size half-ton pickup in customer loyalty. Ford COO Mark Fields (pictured above) accepted the awards and gave the keynote address at the awards ceremony.
Still, it wasn’t all about Ford: Toyota dominated the Hispanic and Asian markets, Subaru was recognized as the Most Improved Conquest Percent of Registrations (meaning that it raised the number of new buyers it attracted more than any other automaker) and Audi for the Highest Conquest Percent of Registrations (meaning that it attracted more new customers than any other brand). See the full breakdown in the press release below.
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Polk Automotive Loyalty Award Winners
Presented by IHS Automotive, the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards are based on actual model year purchase/lease activity and recognizes manufacturers for superior performance in owner retention – a critical aspect of building and maintaining market share. Owners had such a positive overall experience that they came back to buy another vehicle of the same model, make, or manufacturer. The Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards are the only fact-based awards in the industry based on owner loyalty. Awards are based on actual consumer transactions to determine the winners and information obtained from state registration and lease transaction information.
During the 2013 Model Year, over 25 new vehicles were launched, more than 115 vehicle platforms were refreshed or redesigned and over 7.4 million* households came back into the market to purchase a new vehicle. Find out which OEMs were best able to retain their customer base and which were best able to conquest from their competitors.
We are excited to announce this year’s event will have a new format and a couple of new awards.
*Number of returning households is based on the Polk household loyalty methodology and assumes one household per return to market.
2013 Model Year Loyalty Award Winners
| Award Category | Award Winners |
|---|---|
Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company* |
Overall Loyalty to Make | Ford* |
Most Improved Loyalty to Make | |
African American Market Loyalty to Make | Ford* |
Asian Market Loyalty to Make | |
Hispanic Market Loyalty to Make | Toyota |
Highest Conquest Percent of Registrations | |
Most Improved Conquest Percent of Registrations | |
Non-Luxury Traditional Compact Car | Toyota Prius |
Non-Luxury Traditional Mid-Size Car | Honda Accord |
Non-Luxury Compact CUV | Honda CR-V* |
Non-Luxury Full-Size Half-Ton Pickup | Ford F-150* |
Non-Luxury Mid-Size CUV | Kia Sorento |
Non-Luxury Mid-Size SUV | Jeep Grand Cherokee |
Non-Luxury Traditional Sub-Compact Car | Fiat 500 |
Non-Luxury Mid-Size Van | Chrysler Town & Country* |
Non-Luxury Traditional Full-Size Car | Toyota Avalon |
Luxury Mid-Size CUV | Lexus RX* |
Non-Luxury Mid-Size Pickup | Toyota Tacoma |
Non-Luxury Sport Mid-Size Car | Dodge Challenger |
Luxury Traditional Compact Car | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
Luxury Traditional Mid-Size Car | Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Non-Luxury Full-Size SUV | Toyota Land Cruiser |
Luxury Compact CUV | Acura RDX |
Non-Luxury Sport Car | Hyundai Veloster |
Non-Luxury Compact SUV | Jeep Wrangler |
Luxury Sport Car | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class* |
Luxury Full-Size SUV | Land Rover Range Rover* |
Luxury Traditional Full-Size Car | Lexus LS |
Luxury Traditional Sub-Compact Car | Lexus CT200H |
Luxury Mid-Size SUV | Mercedes-Benz G-Class |
Luxury Exotic Car | McLaren MP4 |
Luxury Prestige Full-Size Car | Rolls-Royce Phantom |
*Winner from previous model year award