Autoblog reports, "The results are in from J.D. Power and Associates' latest annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and Jaguar has leapt back up to the top position that it occupied for three of the four past years before dropping last year to third." The survey asked 36,000 new car buyers to describe their dealership experience, "taking into account the dealership's facility, the individual salesperson, the paperwork and finance process, vehicle delivery process and price as criteria for their overall satisfaction. Jaguar dealers scored particularly high in the delivery, paperwork and price categories by properly explaining their vehicle's features, delivering the vehicles in excellent condition and offering good value compared to its competitors."
The result is great news for Jaguar dealers. The company was sold to Indian automaker Tata Motors last year, and many have wondered whether new management would be able to repair the brand's sagging reputation. Having attractive new models like the XF sedan, ,doesn't hurt.
Edmunds Inside Line notes, "In an unusual twist, many Asian brands - including Honda, Toyota, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Hyundai and Mazda - ranked below the industry-average customer satisfaction score in the study, despite gaining market share over domestic vehicles."
Motor Trend says that popular Asian brands perform poorly on Power's survey as "a result of their emphasis on vehicle quality and not dealership hospitality." J.D. Power Director of Automotive Research Tom Gauer adds, "The Asian import buyer generally has a higher education level, is more affluent, is generally younger...they tend to be more critical in their evaluation."
Whatever kind of car you're interested in buying, there are steps you should take before you ever walk in the dealership door. Read our 7 Ways to Survive the Car Dealership to brush up - and given the state of the credit market, you should probably read our 5 Ways to Get the Best Deal in a Down Market as well.
