Acura, Saturn & Land Rover Dealerships Top Shopper Satisfaction Study

Acura dealerships received the highest ranking in a study conducted by Pied Piper that measures how well consumers are treated when shopping for a new vehicle. Following Acura were Land Rover, Saturn, Jaguar, Volkswagen and nineteen more brands that managed to be ranked at or above the indusrty average. On the… other side of the moon Pied Piper's study ranked 12 brands ranked below the industry average (in alphabetical order): Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Isuzu, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Scion and Suzuki. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

According to Pied Piper, Acura dealers were ranked consistently among the top brands for most of the 50+ sales process aspects evaluated by the study, and ranked first for giving prospects compelling reasons to buy from their specific dealership. Other brands led the industry in different areas. Land Rover salespeople for example were most likely to provide a "walk-around" showcasing product features and benefits, and were also most likely to offer a brochure. Saturn salespeople were most likely to offer a test drive, and to provide compelling reasons to buy now. Jaguar salespeople were most likely to mention financing options. Lexus salespeople nearly always (98% of the time) asked for contact information while BMW salespeople were most likely to appear responsible for setting the sales price themselves.

Other interesting facts that we discovered in Pied Piper's dealership satisfaction study include: salespeople offered a test drive 89% of the time, asked for contact information 83% of the time, asked for the sale 75% of the time, offered a brochure 66% of the time and provided compelling reasons to buy from their specific dealership only 51% of the time.

Pied Piper's study was conducted between April 2007 and June 2007 using anonymous shopper evaluations at 1,592 dealerships located throughout the U.S., representing approximately one in fourteen of all U.S. light vehicle dealership locations.

Via: Pied Piper

75% Of Brits Support A Smoking Ban If A Child Under 16 Was In The Car

According to a new study from Privilege insurance, three out of five Brits would support a Government ban ruling out drivers from smoking if a child under 16 was in the car. Even though we’re heavy smokers ourselves, we’ll agree with the majority here, as passive smoking isn’t something we’d like to subject our kids to.

However, we’ll totally disagree with Privilege’s academic research findings that say smokers drive on average 23 per cent faster than non-smokers and are more prone to accidents not only due to speeding but also because smoking reduces a driver’s ability to deal with other events and generates additional mental strain. What’s next, ban chewing gum in the car? If we follow this kind of logic then we should ban kids from cars –have any doubts that youngsters generate 10 times more mental strain than smoking and that they distract drivers more than anything else? -See the press release after the jump

PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC DEMAND SMOKING AT THE WHEEL TO BE STUBBED OUT

Seventy per cent of the public would support a Government ban prohibiting drivers from smoking if a child under 16 was in the car according to new research from Privilege Insurance.

With one in twenty youngsters under the age of sixteen subjected to passive smoking from their parents, the health implications for the next generation are worrying. And new academic research has shown that smokers have an increased crash risk, leaving youngsters in both health and accident danger.

Privilege’s academic research has proved smokers drive on average 23 per cent faster than non-smokers. As speed is a contributory factor in over a quarter of all fatal accidents^[i], smokers not only have to deal with the possibility of being diagnosed with a fatal disease, they are now more likely than non smokers to be involved in a crash.

Previous Privilege research shows the number of people smoking while driving is predicted to increase by 14 per cent following the smoking ban on 1^st July.

Jennifer Culley, from Privilege Insurance said:

“Smoking reduces a driver’s ability to deal with other events and generates additional mental strain, especially for people smoking while driving for the first time.”

Dr Mark Young, from Brunel University, who carried out the study on behalf of Privilege, explained the significance of its findings:

“The study clearly shows that smokers do have a tendency to drive faster and more inconsistently than non-smokers – in effect, confirming theories that smokers tend to have a more risk-taking attitude to life. It’s also clear that smoking is an activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from the task of driving, especially for those drivers who choose to start smoking in their car following the ban. Drivers should therefore exercise extreme caution and discretion if they choose to smoke and drive.

“In addition, the health implications of smoking have been hugely reported and England is following the lead of countries such as New Zealand , Germany , Scotland , Brazil and India which have already banned smoking in company cars for health reasons.”

Safety while driving is paramount and will reduce the chances of having an accident. Privilege Insurance guarantees to beat renewal quotes for drivers with 4+ years no claims discount and on an equivalent basis to ours. Offer ends 31 October 2007.

US States that have banned smoking in cars for passengers under 16

Arkansas

Louisiana

New jersey

California

Georgia

Michigan

New York

Pennsylvania

Vermont

Countries looking into banning smoking primarily on health grounds

Germany

Australia

Countries that have laws in place against smoking and driving due to the distraction

Brazil

India

Scotland (a £60 fine is imposed on offenders)

J.D. Power Initial Quality Study: Ford Tops In Five Segments, Mercedes Goes Up 20 Positions

Our second consumer survey/study of the day comes from J.D Power and it concerns new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership capturing problems experienced by owners in two distinct categories -quality of design and quality of production (defects and malfunctions).

Ford Motor Company managed to achieve five top model segment awards -more than any other carmaker this year, for the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Mercury Milan. Additionally, the Lincoln nameplate improved considerably to rank third in 2007, from 12th in 2006. Ford also received J.D. Power’s Assembly Plant Award for producing vehicles yielding the fewest defects. Which plant is that we hear you ask? Well, it’s the Wixom assembly plant in Michigan that produced the Lincoln Town Car. Yes, we're talking about the same Wixon plant that Ford recently closed…

Another important highlight of J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study (IQS) concerns Mercedes-Benz that improved its nameplate rank by 20 positions - the greatest improvement of any nameplate in the study, climbing to from No. 25 in 2006 to No. 5 this year. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

For the second consecutive year, Porsche topped the overall nameplate rankings, averaging 91 PP100. Following in the rankings are Lexus, Lincoln, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, respectively. Honda, with the fewest problems per 100 among non-premium brands, improves in the ranking to fourth from sixth since the 2006 study and earns awards with the Civic and CR-V. Among non-premium brands, Kia posts the largest improvement in ranking, moving from 24th in 2006 to 12th in 2007 and earning an award for the Kia Rio/Rio5 for the second year in a row.

The most improved nameplates in the study are Land Rover (increasing in initial quality by 34 PP100), Saab (improving by 30 PP100) and Mercedes-Benz (increasing by 28 PP100). Other nameplates receiving model awards in 2007 include Chevrolet (Express and Silverado Classic HD), Lexus (RX350/RX400h) Pontiac (Grand Prix) and Porsche (Boxster).

Via: J.D. Power

Brand Origin Study: Lexus is American, Saab’s German and Hyundai’s Japanese!

Brand what? Listen to this; according to Anderson Analytics latest brand origin study that sampled 1,000 US College students at over 375 US universities during the fall 2006 semester, 33.7% of the participants believed that Lexus is an American firm while 55,7% said that Hyundai’s Japanese. Forty-nine percent thought Swedish carmaker Volvo to be German while 58.4% said Land Rover is an American company. Saab, Swedish? Yeah right. 40.4% mistakenly thought that it’s a German car manufacture!

"For the most part, this next generation of educated American consumers either have no clue where the brands they use come from or simply assume everything comes from the United States, Japan or Germany," said Tom H. C. Anderson, Managing Partner, Anderson Analytics.

According to Anderson, while students’ ignorance for brand origin may a bliss in some cases –eg. most believe that Motorola is Japanese (…), country of origin plays an important part in making luxury goods and automobiles more exclusive and exotic. And vice-versa, may we add as Hyundai proves. From the 246 people who said Hyundai’s was Korean, just 42% of them thought Korea makes good products while 85% of them said Japan makes good products. From the 589 students who wrongly believed Hyundai’s Japanese, 83% of them believe that Japan makes great products while only 38% think Korean products are good. Go figure… Via: Anderson Analytics