R. L. POLK & CO. ANNOUNCES MID-YEAR AUTOMOTIVE LOYALTY LEADERS
GM Leads in "Overall" Category
New Faces Surface Among Category Leaders
DETROIT, Mich. - October 23, 2001 - R. L. Polk & Co. released its mid-year consumer automotive loyalty rankings today and General Motors Corporation (GM) is once again positioned to capture the overall manufacturer loyalty award. At present, GM's consumer loyalty average is more than 12 percentage points higher than the industry average.
According to Polk's 2001 Manufacturer Loyalty Excelerator™ Report, the basis for Polk's Automotive Loyalty Awards, GM also leads in four segment categories. The Buick LeSabre is leading the Large Car category, the Cadillac DeVille leads in the Luxury category, the Chevrolet Suburban is first in the Fullsize Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) category and the Chevrolet C/K Pickup is leading in the Fullsize Pickup category.
"Over the past few years, GM has improved its loyalty performance significantly," said Melissa Mullen, Polk's industry loyalty consultant. "GM's loyalty building programs, which have included special incentives and rebates for returning GM owners, have all been successful for GM."
Several other manufacturers also had high loyalty marks during the first six months of the 2001 model year:
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) holds the lead in three of the 12 model categories: the Lexus LS 430 leads in the Prestige Luxury Car category, the Toyota Tacoma in the Compact Pickup category and the Toyota RAV4 in the Compact SUV category.
DaimlerChrysler's Jeep Grand Cherokee currently tops the list in the Regular SUV category. Within the Minivan category, the Chrysler Town & Country debuted at the top of the rankings, threatening Ford Motor Company, whose minivan offerings have ranked first each model year since Polk's Automotive Loyalty Awards began.
The Mercury Sable, currently holding the lead in the Midsize Car category, is threatening to bump three-time award-winner Buick Century from the top ranked position.
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CATEGORY |
LEADER |
LOYALTY % |
AVG. INDUSTRY LOYALTY % |
|
OVERALL CATEGORIES: |
|
|
|
|
Manufacturer Loyalty |
General Motors* |
66.5% |
54.2% |
|
Make Loyalty |
Ford Division* |
55.3% |
43.1% |
|
MODEL CATEGORIES: |
|
|
|
|
Small Car |
Ford Focus* |
20.8% |
14.4% |
|
Midsize Car |
Mercury Sable |
34.9% |
18.9% |
|
Large Car |
Buick LeSabre* |
43.4% |
27.5% |
|
Luxury Car |
Cadillac DeVille* |
43.3% |
21.1% |
|
Prestige Luxury Car |
Lexus LS 430** |
37.6% |
22.2% |
|
Sports Car |
Porsche 911 |
22.8% |
10.9% |
|
Minivan |
Chrysler Town & Country |
33.2% |
15.6% |
|
Compact Pickup Truck |
Toyota Tacoma |
19.7% |
15.8% |
|
Fullsize Pickup Truck |
Chevrolet C/K Pickup |
37.4% |
33.7% |
|
Compact SUV |
Toyota RAV4 |
21.9% |
14.3% |
|
Regular SUV |
Jeep Grand Cherokee* |
26.8% |
19.9% |
|
Fullsize SUV |
Chevrolet Suburban* |
30.3% |
20.4% |
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*2000 Polk Automotive Loyalty Award Winner
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The source of Polk's Automotive Loyalty Awards is Polk's Manufacturer Loyalty Excelerator™ study, which provides the latest insight into consumer loyalty. This study was introduced to the automotive industry in 1995 and was created to provide household loyalty information to manufacturers at many different levels. It is used to determine the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards, to provide loyalty percentages for the entire automotive industry, to allow for cross-industry comparisons of loyalty behavior and to examine loyalty at various levels (e.g. from the industry level down to the vehicle line level). The study measures loyalty throughout the entire model year so that manufacturers may keep abreast of loyalty trends as they occur.
About R. L. Polk & Co.
Polk has served the automotive industry for nearly 80 years and is the longest standing curator of automobile records in the United States. Founded in Detroit in 1870, Polk launched its motor vehicle statistical operations in 1922 when the first car registration reports were published. The company now provides automotive solutions to nearly every segment of the motor vehicle industry as an analytical consultant and statistician, as a provider of database-marketing services, and as a supplier of vehicle histories. Based in Southfield, Mich., Polk is a privately held global firm, currently operating in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
For more information about Polk's Automotive Loyalty Awards, please contact Todd Krieger at (248) 362-4200.
R. L. Polk & Co.'s 2001 Automotive Loyalty Awards ceremony will take place on January 6, 2002 at Cobo Hall during the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich.