Consumer Reports’ Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey crowned Tesla as the number 1 brand with 91% of owners stating they would buy another model from the same brand. Apart from Tesla, Porsche(84%), Audi (77%) and Subaru (76%) were among the top achievers. The survey is further evidence for Tesla’s growing popularity as the Model S won the ‘most loved car’ in the U.S. earlier this year whereas Model X bagged the Golden Steering Wheel award.
For a brand to be eligible for the survey, it should have at least two models with their respective data. The models that were considered this year were manufactured between the years 2014-2017 and did represent the current state of the brands. Consumer Reports judged over 3,00,000 vehicles and the survey’s were based upon owner sentiment across each brand’s product line. The survey gives a brief idea about how owners feel about cars they own and determine their brand loyalty.
Apart from Tesla, other brands which stole the show included Lincoln that ascended from 21st place last year to 12th this year alongside Hyundai that rose to 13th spot from 24th. While many major brands plummeted this year such as BMW that went down to 14th place from 6th and Volkswagen who got the 24th spot after falling down by 8 steps. VW’s downfall suggests its lost admiration among the masses particularly due to revelation of high pollutant emissions in millions of cars earlier this year. Further, Ram a preferred brand for pickup trucks and vans tumbled down to 17th position from last years’s 5th. These rankings also summarize strengths of new and recently redesigned models of a particular brand.
Tesla did make some serious efforts this year including software updates and improvements for the assembly line which is visible upon the survey reports. The year has been the best sales year ever for the company with 400,000 pre-orders for their upcoming Model 3. Further, the credit for the big win goes to Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot suite alongside company’s growing Supercharger network. The 2nd and 3rd spot holders Porsche and Audi respectively, provide a luxury experience to their owners which key for their success despite following traditional sales and marketing methods.
The reports were out as on 22 December and full list can be checked here.
