JD Powers: Owner Loyalty Rates for Light Trucks Rise as Gas Prices Fall

Washington DC October 20, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that the recent drop in gas prices has led to an overall increase in owner loyalty rates for pickups and SUVs, according to the real-time retail transaction data from the Power Information Network (PIN).

PIN data shows four out of six large pickup models, four out of five large utilities and seven out of seven midsize utilities all experienced increases in owner retention from mid-August to early October, reports Auto Remarketing.

"It's early, but this data suggests there still is life in these segments," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at PIN. "These segments are important because they include many high-volume, high-profit models.

These findings are also relevant because Ford, General Motors and Toyota all have new products coming in these segments."