09/04/2008, 8:47 AM

Acura News

Lexus tops J.D. Power Luxury Brand Owner Loyalty survey

In the first quarter of 2008, an even 48 percent of new Lexus vehicles sold went to previous owners of the marque - the highest rate among luxury brands. Also near the top of the list were BMW at 44 percent, Mercedes-Benz at 41.2 percent and Cadillac at 37.3 percent.

At the bottom of the list were the four luxury marques that have all struggled of late to make a real niche for themselves in North America: Volvo (20 percent return customers), Land Rover (15.6 percent), Jaguar (14.2 percent) and Saab (8.8 percent). Hummer was also included in the study at 16.8 percent.

J.D. Power and Associates Luxury Brand Owner Loyalty

Lexus 48.0%
BMW 44.0%
Mercedes-Benz 41.2%
Cadillac 37.3%
Porsche 36.9%
Acura 29.3%
Lincoln 28.2%
Audi 22.7%
Infiniti 20.7%
Volvo 20.0%
HUMMER 16.8%
Land Rover 15.6%
Jaguar 14.2%
Saab 8.8%

 
 

09/04, 8:56 AM

posted by:

carstuff

Cadillac had a pretty good rating. Acura is the surprize. Pretty low

09/04, 9:46 AM

posted by:

WEKS

I would have imagined that Audi would be up there with Lexus, BMW and Mercedes.

09/04, 10:10 AM

posted by:

rodeo40

UH…since when is Hummer a luxury brand?

09/04, 10:17 AM

posted by:

drchiem

Yes, I would love to come back to buy the next generation of LS. What an awesome car…..

09/04, 10:35 AM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

Well at least J.D. Power doesn’t also rank microwave ovens.

09/04, 11:39 AM

posted by:

crackerhemi

Since when is cadillac, lincoln, volvo, jaguar and saab luxury brands?!?!?! These are faux luxury brands at best.

09/04, 11:47 AM

posted by:

carstuff

HMMM. what the heck is a lux brand then? Only Lexus, BMW and MB? There may be some arguement on some of the brands but I think any knowledgeable car person would say Jaguar is a lux brand.

I guess the def. used here is selling cars that start at around $35k? Then I guess Lexus would not be there so maybe the number is $30k or so?

09/04, 11:59 AM

posted by:

nitinsharma1000

LINCOLN???!!!!!! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!!!!

09/04, 12:43 PM

posted by:

beatusmongous

“since when is Hummer a luxury brand?”

Since they made the H2. It has tons of amenities for people that have more money than they know what to do with. And actually, for the driver, the H2 is a VERY nice ride. I hate them, really I do, but I can’t argue that they are luxury rides and very nice to drive.

“cadillac, lincoln, volvo, jaguar and saab luxury brands?!?!?!”

Since they began. They may not be YOUR luxury brand, but they are luxury brands for many other people. Saab would be the lowest on the pole for me. Jaguar was one of the biggest luxury brands back in the ’60s and ’70s, and has focused on the luxury image since then. Lincoln has always been considered a luxury brand since nearly the beginning. I’m honestly surprised that brands like Rolls, Bentley and Maybach weren’t included. And I wouldn’t have included Porsche, but maybe with the Cayenne, they can now be considered a luxury brand.

What this study showed wasn’t “greatness” or “value” of the brand, but loyalty to the brand. It seems the people that bought Lexus cars liked them so much, they returned to buy another. BMW owners I know tend to be very happy with them, and swear by them. I’m willing to be that three years ago, Hummer would have been higher up, but it has recently fallen due to high gas prices. People are turning their Hummers in and buying something else. It’s sad that Land Rover, Jaguar and Saab are so low. LR and Jaguar may also be due to gas prices, but the fact that Saab is down at the bottom could be an indicator that they aren’t making a good car. People don’t tend to be happy about their old Saab, and they turn it in for something else.

Now that’s not to say that no one buys Saab, only that people aren’t buying it twice. The people that switch from Lexus may be buying Saabs. Who knows? Here’s the trick though: “an even 48 percent of new Lexus vehicles sold went to previous owners of the marque.” That statement means that out of 100 Lexus buyers, 48 of them had a Lexus before. And out of 100 Saab buyers, only 8 of them had a Saab before. So Lexus is keeping people, but they may not be bringing new people. It’s a very tricky statement, and pretty easy for marketing people to skew.

I wouldn’t follow this study. It can be easily twisted and distorted to mean too many different things.

09/04, 2:19 PM

posted by:

JoshyLofty

yeah that whole “since when are they luxury brands” was a pretty dumb comment i must say.

09/04, 2:43 PM

posted by:

MercMark

Lexus check finally cleared.

09/04, 8:15 PM

posted by:

jayjc08

I’m not surprised at the Saab results. Brand loyalty has been on the decline since the late 90’s. The only thing keeping Saab alive isn’t Saab enthusiasts, but new buyers. Most of these new buyers don’t seem interested in buying another Saab. With that said, Saabs in a sad state. Sales are down the pot, they have some good products, but unfortunately amazing. The only things that have ever attracted me is passing speed, which Saabs have HUGE accelerating around 50-80 miles per hour, and the older body styles. Seeing the older body styles gone, and tech spread throughout the bread and butter ranges, I don’t even know what to think of Saab…

09/04, 9:44 PM

posted by:

VWgrouP

Yes Hummer are considerd “luxury” because there is leather on the seats, and in order to pay for the car and the gas, you have to be filthy rich.

There arent really eny surprises on the list, exept for Hummer..

09/04, 10:34 PM

posted by:

DrFill

MercMark is also a Republican
It’s a rough year.
DrFill

09/04, 11:31 PM

posted by:

speedemon

09/04, 10:10 AMposted by:rodeo40
UH…since when is Hummer a luxury brand?

Did u check the price???????

09/05, 7:41 AM

posted by:

DeansterTJ

I have trouble figuring out why so many people are running from Land Rover - they look gorgeous and the interiors are amazing. Is it the fuel economy, or are they constantly breaking down, even when they’re brand new?

09/05, 9:06 AM

posted by:

Kaizen

Land Rover’s are so problematic as far as quality issues that they lose their appeal quickly.

11/09, 12:57 PM

posted by:

jackjimturkey

rodeo40: “UH…since when is Hummer a luxury brand?”

Once folks got away with calling Camcords “luxury,” the term lost all meaning

 
 
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