COSTA MESA, Calif. — J.D. Power has released the results of its inaugural 2019 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, with Subaru and Lexus ranking highest in the mass-market and luxury segments, respectively.
Customer loyalty is based on the percentage of vehicle owners who choose the same brand when trading in or purchasing their next vehicle. The 2019 study is based on transaction data from June 2018 through May 2019 and includes all model-years traded in.
Subaru registered the No. 1 overall score of 61.5% and was followed by Toyota (59.5%), Honda (57.7%), Ram (56.2%), and Ford (54%) in the mass-market segment.
Among highlines, Lexus (47.6%) scored highest, followed by Mercedes-Benz (44.2%), BMW (43.6%), Porsche (43.5%), and Audi (43.3%).
“Customer loyalty is perhaps the most important metric for manufacturers because it incorporates many factors that lead customers to become brand ambassadors,” said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power. “When a brand can connect emotionally with owners through the vehicle’s content, capabilities or prestige level, owners are much more likely to come back and purchase that same brand again.”
