SA Auto Customer Satisfaction Report

LONDON, December 20 -- Two Audi and two Volkswagen models rank highest in satisfying owners, according to the J.D. Power and Associates/CAR Magazine 2005 South Africa Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study(SM) released today. The four awards -- which are the most received by any manufacturer in the study -- are for the Audi A3, Audi A4, Volkswagen Citi Golf and the Volkswagen Touran.

In addition to the Volkswagen-Audi models, General Motors and Mitsubishi models each receive two awards while BMW, Ford, Honda and Subaru models each receive a single award.

The CSI Study is a comprehensive measurement of ownership satisfaction covering 77 attributes grouped into four factors of satisfaction (the importance of each factor is shown as a percentage):

    
    - Vehicle quality and reliability (32%)
    - Vehicle appeal (29%) -- includes performance, design, comfort, styling
      and features
    - Dealership service satisfaction (19%)
    - Cost of ownership (20%) -- includes fuel consumption, insurance and
      cost of service/repair

The importance weights are developed based on survey responses from vehicle owners, thus reflecting what is most important to South Africa's motorists. CSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1000-point scale. A higher CSI score indicates a more satisfying ownership experience.

Although the cost of ownership factor score has improved significantly in 2005, it remains the lowest rated of the four CSI factors at the industry level. Contributing to the low cost-of-ownership scores are poor ratings for insurance costs, cost of service/repair and fuel consumption.

"This finding is an important reminder that when shopping for a new vehicle, it is essential to consider more than just the cost of purchasing the new vehicle," said Brian Walters, senior director of European operations at J.D. Power and Associates. "The costs of owning and operating a vehicle can turn an otherwise satisfying ownership experience into a financial hardship."

At the brand level, Subaru leads the South African market in CSI by 16 index points over second-ranked BMW. Rounding out the top five nameplates are Audi, Honda and Volvo, respectively.

To reach the pole position, Subaru has improved by 50 index points in 2005, more than any other nameplate. Other nameplates improving significantly in 2005 include Nissan (+32 index points), Fiat and Honda (each +27 index points) and Kia and Mazda (each +24 index points). Subaru receives the highest ratings in two of the four CSI factors: vehicle quality/reliability and service satisfaction. BMW leads in vehicle appeal, while Audi excels in ownership costs.

"The presence of Subaru and Honda among the most satisfying nameplates is proof that motorists in South Africa do not need to buy the most expensive vehicles to get a truly satisfying ownership experience," said Walters. "In fact, the presence of compact cars, luxury sedans, MPVs and SUVs among the most satisfying models is evidence that satisfying vehicles come in all shapes, sizes and price points."

"The J.D. Power and Associates South Africa CSI provides new-vehicle shoppers with invaluable information about key aspects of the vehicle ownership experience," said John Wright, editor of CAR magazine. "The comprehensive nature of the CSI measure provides South African consumers information on what it is like to drive and own a specific nameplate or model. The research and results are made more valuable by the fact they are based on information provided by actual owners of the vehicles."

J.D. Power and Associates is recognised across the globe as the leading independent authority on customer satisfaction in the automotive industry. The firm's primary role is to help automotive manufacturers further improve their product quality and service levels through a better understanding of consumers. J.D. Power and Associates also provides top-line results of its automotive studies to consumers for use as a reference point when purchasing a new vehicle.

The South Africa CSI Study is conducted independently by J.D. Power and Associates to establish a benchmark of vehicle ownership satisfaction in the South Africa market. The survey was carried out in cooperation with the Department of Transport (DOT), which facilitated the distribution of questionnaires. The study is based on responses from more than 10400 owners of new vehicles first registered between October 2003 and September 2004.

About J.D. Power and Associates

The European headquarters of J.D. Power and Associates is located in Guildford, UK. With world headquarters in Westlake Village, California, U.S.A., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

ABOUT CAR MAGAZINE

CAR magazine is read by an average of 915000 people each month. CAR magazine also publishes www.cartoday.com. The results of the J.D. Power and Associates/CAR Magazine 2005 South Africa Automotive Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study(SM), are published exclusively in the January 2006 issue of CAR, on newsstands Tuesday, 20 December 2005.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education and BusinessWeek. The Corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2004 were US$5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.