J.D. Power: Subaru Canada ranks highest in customer satisfaction with manufacturer website

Cites effective re-design for improved new-vehicle shopper satisfaction

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 23, 2008; According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study, Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) ranks highest among auto manufacturer websites in satisfying Canadian new-vehicle shoppers. The 2008 study is based on evaluations provided by 3,639 new-vehicle shoppers who said they intend to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months.

In what Subaru believes is a first for the industry, the SCI corporate website, www.subaru.ca, and the sites for its network of 89 dealers are managed, developed and hosted entirely in-house.

"My thanks and congratulations to our talented and dedicated team of developers who have worked so hard to make Subaru the new standard for excellence in this important area," said Katsuhiro Yokoyama, president and CEO of SCI. "The fact that Subaru's satisfaction scores improved significantly during a downward trend in the industry is a real testament to their hard work and the success of their efforts in meeting and anticipating customer needs."

The survey looks at four important elements that affect customer satisfaction with websites: information and content, ease of navigating throughout the website, appearance of the website, and the speed at which pages load throughout the website. Subaru ranks highest among 25 auto manufacturer sites, increasing 73 index points on a 1,000-point scale to receive a score of 840. Overall, however, the study finds that satisfaction with manufacturer websites has decreased for a second consecutive year-down 12 points since the study's inception in 2006.

"It's interesting to note that the few manufacturers that redesigned their websites in the past year were some of the only automakers to achieve improvements in satisfaction among new-vehicle shoppers," said Adrian Chung, manager of automotive syndicated research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Subaru, in particular, recently completed a total redesign of its website, which has played a notable role in their overall performance improvement since 2007."

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About Subaru Canada, Inc.

Subaru Canada, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of 89 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information about SCI, go to www.subaru.ca.