Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey: Drivers See Toyota, Honda as Best
01-08-08, 04:08 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey: Drivers See Toyota, Honda as Best
Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey: Drivers See Toyota, Honda as Best Overall
But perception is not always reality
NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers perceived Toyota
and Honda brands to be best by a wide margin, followed by Ford, Chevrolet,
and GMC, according to Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey.
The survey also revealed that car buyers consider safety and quality as the
most important considerations, followed by value, performance,
environmental friendliness, design, and technical innovation.
The latest Auto Pulse survey conducted by Consumer Reports' National
Research Center, the Car Brand Perception Survey, focused on how consumers
perceive and rank car brands in the seven key areas mentioned above. It
also looked at which of these factors are most important to consumers when
buying a vehicle. Category rankings and analysis can be found online in the
Cars section of http://www.ConsumerReports.org.
Toyota and Honda topped overall rankings with scores of 189 and 146
points, respectively, and took a place in the top five in six of the seven
categories. Ford finished third with 112 points, followed by Chevrolet with
110, and GMC with 102. Chevrolet and Ford are the only U.S. brands that
rank in the top five in more than one category; each makes the cut in three
areas. Among brands that fared worst, Acura finished with eight points,
followed by Audi (14 pts.). Mitsubishi (21 pts.), Mercury (22 pts.), and
Buick (25 pts.).
Dig deeper, though, and in many cases, consumers' views do not
accurately reflect the automaker's recent track record. For example,
Mercedes-Benz finished in the top five for quality. But the brand placed
33rd out of 36th in Consumer Reports' latest rankings for predicted
reliability, a measure of quality over time. Toyota earned a top spot in
this category. And while its vehicles have typically rated well in areas
associated with quality, the brand slipped from first place to fifth in the
same predicted reliability ratings.
"It is well worth doing your research before making a purchase," said
Jeff Bartlett, deputy autos editor, ConsumerReports.org. "Depreciation,
reliability, safety and other factors may be different from what you
associate with a particular brand."
With a score of 77 percent in the Safety category, Volvo is clearly
first in consumers' minds. No other category is so unilaterally dominated
by one brand. But in another example of perception over reality, Subaru
scored well in the Safety category, yet many lower-trim models don't
include electronic stability control, a highly recommended safety feature.
Other automakers consistently on the cutting edge of safety technology --
such as BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz --- don't make it into the top five.
Among new-car shoppers, 63 percent felt safety is the most important
consideration.
When it comes to Value, Korean brand Kia finished well with 23 percent
of consumers saying they think the brand is a good buy. While this could be
a reflection of the make's low-cost models and long warranty, the predicted
depreciation for some Kia models is poor -- not a good-value
characteristic.
While some perceptions don't match reality, others do. BMW and Porsche
led the Performance category with 28 and 25 percentage points,
respectively. The vehicles from both brands have consistently earned high
ratings in performance in testing at Consumer Reports' 327-acre Auto Test
Center.
Coming in at 49 percent, Toyota dominated the Environmentally
Friendly/Green category, likely due to the company's role as a pioneer in
hybrid technology and its strong-selling Prius hybrid. The Prius is also
one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles Consumer Reports has tested.
Consumers consider environmental friendliness substantially more
significant (35%) than styling (23%), and more than twice as significant as
technology and innovation (15%).
In the Design/Style category, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus virtually tied
(24%), with both holding a slim margin over Cadillac (23%). In general, car
buyers in this survey rated styling low among purchase considerations, but
it's easy to underestimate the sales potential of head-turning styling.
This is the only category in which Toyota and Honda did not rank in the top
five.
As for Technology/Innovation, Toyota (30%), Lexus (29%), Honda (20%),
Cadillac (18%), and BMW (17%) rounded out the top five brands.
Methodology
To learn about consumers' car brand perceptions, the Consumer Reports
National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey
from December 6-10, 2007, contacting 2,037 adults. The survey data was
collected from the 1,720 adults whose household owns at least one car.
Overall brand perception is an index calculated as the total number of
times that the particular make was mentioned as an exemplar across all
seven categories, divided by the total unaided mentions. This approach
adjusts for awareness level, ensuring every brand has an equal chance of
leading a category, not just the best-selling or most well-known brands.
Category scores reflect the number of times that the particular make
was mentioned as an exemplar of the particular attribute, again adjusted
for awareness.
Consumer Reports' Auto Pulse Survey Series
Throughout the year, Consumer Reports conducts Auto Pulse surveys that
track current opinions, perceptions, and buying trends -- the pulse -- of
the American consumer automotive marketplace. Results are announced to the
media and posted to http://www.ConsumerReports.org, the largest paid Web
publication.
With more than 7,000,000 print and online subscribers, Consumer Reports
is one of the most trusted sources for information and advice on consumer
products and services. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program
of any U.S. publication or Website; the magazine's auto experts have
decades of experience in driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To become
a subscriber, consumers can call 1-800-234-1645. Information and articles
from the magazine can be accessed online at http://www.ConsumerReports.org.
APS PULSE SURVEY #11 - CAR BRAND PERCEPTIONS
SOURCE Consumer Reports
But perception is not always reality
NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers perceived Toyota
and Honda brands to be best by a wide margin, followed by Ford, Chevrolet,
and GMC, according to Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey.
The survey also revealed that car buyers consider safety and quality as the
most important considerations, followed by value, performance,
environmental friendliness, design, and technical innovation.
The latest Auto Pulse survey conducted by Consumer Reports' National
Research Center, the Car Brand Perception Survey, focused on how consumers
perceive and rank car brands in the seven key areas mentioned above. It
also looked at which of these factors are most important to consumers when
buying a vehicle. Category rankings and analysis can be found online in the
Cars section of http://www.ConsumerReports.org.
Toyota and Honda topped overall rankings with scores of 189 and 146
points, respectively, and took a place in the top five in six of the seven
categories. Ford finished third with 112 points, followed by Chevrolet with
110, and GMC with 102. Chevrolet and Ford are the only U.S. brands that
rank in the top five in more than one category; each makes the cut in three
areas. Among brands that fared worst, Acura finished with eight points,
followed by Audi (14 pts.). Mitsubishi (21 pts.), Mercury (22 pts.), and
Buick (25 pts.).
Dig deeper, though, and in many cases, consumers' views do not
accurately reflect the automaker's recent track record. For example,
Mercedes-Benz finished in the top five for quality. But the brand placed
33rd out of 36th in Consumer Reports' latest rankings for predicted
reliability, a measure of quality over time. Toyota earned a top spot in
this category. And while its vehicles have typically rated well in areas
associated with quality, the brand slipped from first place to fifth in the
same predicted reliability ratings.
"It is well worth doing your research before making a purchase," said
Jeff Bartlett, deputy autos editor, ConsumerReports.org. "Depreciation,
reliability, safety and other factors may be different from what you
associate with a particular brand."
With a score of 77 percent in the Safety category, Volvo is clearly
first in consumers' minds. No other category is so unilaterally dominated
by one brand. But in another example of perception over reality, Subaru
scored well in the Safety category, yet many lower-trim models don't
include electronic stability control, a highly recommended safety feature.
Other automakers consistently on the cutting edge of safety technology --
such as BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz --- don't make it into the top five.
Among new-car shoppers, 63 percent felt safety is the most important
consideration.
When it comes to Value, Korean brand Kia finished well with 23 percent
of consumers saying they think the brand is a good buy. While this could be
a reflection of the make's low-cost models and long warranty, the predicted
depreciation for some Kia models is poor -- not a good-value
characteristic.
While some perceptions don't match reality, others do. BMW and Porsche
led the Performance category with 28 and 25 percentage points,
respectively. The vehicles from both brands have consistently earned high
ratings in performance in testing at Consumer Reports' 327-acre Auto Test
Center.
Coming in at 49 percent, Toyota dominated the Environmentally
Friendly/Green category, likely due to the company's role as a pioneer in
hybrid technology and its strong-selling Prius hybrid. The Prius is also
one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles Consumer Reports has tested.
Consumers consider environmental friendliness substantially more
significant (35%) than styling (23%), and more than twice as significant as
technology and innovation (15%).
In the Design/Style category, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus virtually tied
(24%), with both holding a slim margin over Cadillac (23%). In general, car
buyers in this survey rated styling low among purchase considerations, but
it's easy to underestimate the sales potential of head-turning styling.
This is the only category in which Toyota and Honda did not rank in the top
five.
As for Technology/Innovation, Toyota (30%), Lexus (29%), Honda (20%),
Cadillac (18%), and BMW (17%) rounded out the top five brands.
Methodology
To learn about consumers' car brand perceptions, the Consumer Reports
National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey
from December 6-10, 2007, contacting 2,037 adults. The survey data was
collected from the 1,720 adults whose household owns at least one car.
Overall brand perception is an index calculated as the total number of
times that the particular make was mentioned as an exemplar across all
seven categories, divided by the total unaided mentions. This approach
adjusts for awareness level, ensuring every brand has an equal chance of
leading a category, not just the best-selling or most well-known brands.
Category scores reflect the number of times that the particular make
was mentioned as an exemplar of the particular attribute, again adjusted
for awareness.
Consumer Reports' Auto Pulse Survey Series
Throughout the year, Consumer Reports conducts Auto Pulse surveys that
track current opinions, perceptions, and buying trends -- the pulse -- of
the American consumer automotive marketplace. Results are announced to the
media and posted to http://www.ConsumerReports.org, the largest paid Web
publication.
With more than 7,000,000 print and online subscribers, Consumer Reports
is one of the most trusted sources for information and advice on consumer
products and services. It conducts the most comprehensive auto-test program
of any U.S. publication or Website; the magazine's auto experts have
decades of experience in driving, testing, and reporting on cars. To become
a subscriber, consumers can call 1-800-234-1645. Information and articles
from the magazine can be accessed online at http://www.ConsumerReports.org.
APS PULSE SURVEY #11 - CAR BRAND PERCEPTIONS
SOURCE Consumer Reports
01-08-08, 04:15 PM
#2
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
01-08-08, 05:26 PM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Yup, that perception allows.
1. Honda and Toyota quality to go down
2. Let them design some ugly products (Honda in particular hired the guy that BMW didn't hire when they got Bangle)
3. Their dealers to be arrogant.
4. Sell questionable products but they sell anyway.
1. Honda and Toyota quality to go down
2. Let them design some ugly products (Honda in particular hired the guy that BMW didn't hire when they got Bangle)
3. Their dealers to be arrogant.
4. Sell questionable products but they sell anyway.
01-08-08, 05:27 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
I found it odd in this month's issue that they recommended the Honda Accord, even though it is new, based on past experience--even though they stated last year they would stop that practice on Toyotas. I thought they were going to stop doing it altogether.
01-08-08, 05:30 PM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
My observations....
Among brands that fared worst, Acura finished with eight points,
followed by Audi (14 pts.). Mitsubishi (21 pts.), Mercury (22 pts.), and
Buick (25 pts.).
Dig deeper, though, and in many cases, consumers' views do not
accurately reflect the automaker's recent track record. For example,
Mercedes-Benz finished in the top five for quality. But the brand placed
33rd out of 36th in Consumer Reports' latest rankings for predicted
reliability, a measure of quality over time.
Other automakers consistently on the cutting edge of safety technology --
such as BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz --- don't make it into the top five.
BMW and Porsche
led the Performance category with 28 and 25 percentage points,
respectively.
Coming in at 49 percent, Toyota dominated the Environmentally
Friendly/Green category,
In the Design/Style category, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus virtually tied
(24%), with both holding a slim margin over Cadillac (23%).This is the only category in which Toyota and Honda did not rank in the top
five.(thats b/c the 2 brands make some UUUUGGGGLLLY vehicles
As for Technology/Innovation, Toyota (30%), Lexus (29%), Honda (20%),
Cadillac (18%), and BMW (17%) rounded out the top five brands.
Funny funny funny, all the categories Lexus gets knocked for on the internet,well the buying public, loves.
Among brands that fared worst, Acura finished with eight points,
followed by Audi (14 pts.). Mitsubishi (21 pts.), Mercury (22 pts.), and
Buick (25 pts.).
Dig deeper, though, and in many cases, consumers' views do not
accurately reflect the automaker's recent track record. For example,
Mercedes-Benz finished in the top five for quality. But the brand placed
33rd out of 36th in Consumer Reports' latest rankings for predicted
reliability, a measure of quality over time.
Other automakers consistently on the cutting edge of safety technology --
such as BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz --- don't make it into the top five.
BMW and Porsche
led the Performance category with 28 and 25 percentage points,
respectively.
Coming in at 49 percent, Toyota dominated the Environmentally
Friendly/Green category,
In the Design/Style category, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus virtually tied
(24%), with both holding a slim margin over Cadillac (23%).This is the only category in which Toyota and Honda did not rank in the top
five.(thats b/c the 2 brands make some UUUUGGGGLLLY vehicles
As for Technology/Innovation, Toyota (30%), Lexus (29%), Honda (20%),
Cadillac (18%), and BMW (17%) rounded out the top five brands.
Funny funny funny, all the categories Lexus gets knocked for on the internet,well the buying public, loves.
Last edited by LexFather; 01-08-08 at 06:20 PM.
01-08-08, 05:35 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
All just proves how clueless most people are--Honda is #2 in "perceived" quality, but Acura is dead last.
Trending Topics
01-08-08, 06:18 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
(told you so)
01-08-08, 06:31 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
01-08-08, 08:30 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
That is why they sell huge numbers of cars/SUV every year. You may not think they have image but the public generally thinks they have a very good image based on their success. The TL was the best selling luxury car for a couple years and the MDX is one of the best selling luxury SUVs right now as well as the previous model being extremely successful, the TSX is a very good seller, and the NSX is a legendary cult car and broke new ground for a Japanese car as well as changed the exotic market in they had to be measured up to the NSX. Acura has a very good image and that is one reason they are very successful. Acura vehicles pretty much always get very good reviews. For a company with no image as you say they still sell alot of cars and SUVs every year and are very successful and are only going to be more successful once new models come out and new versions come to the market. Do you base your comment on this silly survey article that also says Lexus image is not as high as Toyota?
01-08-08, 09:07 PM
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
That is why they sell huge numbers of cars/SUV every year. You may not think they have image but the public generally thinks they have a very good image based on their success. The TL was the best selling luxury car for a couple years and the MDX is one of the best selling luxury SUVs right now as well as the previous model being extremely successful, the TSX is a very good seller, and the NSX is a legendary cult car and broke new ground for a Japanese car as well as changed the exotic market in they had to be measured up to the NSX. Acura has a very good image and that is one reason they are very successful. Acura vehicles pretty much always get very good reviews. For a company with no image as you say they still sell alot of cars and SUVs every year and are very successful and are only going to be more successful once new models come out and new versions come to the market. Do you base your comment on this silly survey article that also says Lexus image is not as high as Toyota?
Honda THEMSELVES say they seek a stronger image with Acura. Your defending the defendless.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=acura
Honda will strengthen Acura's image
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=honda
Why Acura Isn't Keeping Up
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehi..._0223feat.html
1. In this survey, the general public doesn't have much of an idea of what the brand is/stands for/sells.
2. Looking around on car internet forums, Acura is rarely mentioned outside how bad the RL is and maybe the TL.
Sales are down this year and it could very well be happy Honda owners move up to Acuras. They will Always sell Acuras. Again, nothing bad about them but nothing great.
How exactly does Acura stand out from this more competative and very crowded market? You can say SH-AWD, or loaded cars maybe? Can you say Acura is the best at anything? I find them to be nicer Hondas that are a good jack of all trades. This is not a convincing argument. It can't be their awful concepts?
Even Honda themselves stated, the TL, their best seller and arguably their best car is cross shopped with the ACCORD than any other model.
Just go to the links, Honda is very aware they have a problem.
01-08-08, 10:21 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
I am sorry but you missed the entire point. Acura could sell 10 trilllion cars, and their public perception in this survey was LAST of anyone. No one said they made bad vehicles but the perception of the product is not there and if you think so you are just fooling yourself. Seems those Acuras that are sold, go to the Honda faithful, making a no brainer decision.
Honda THEMSELVES say they seek a stronger image with Acura. Your defending the defendless.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=acura
Honda will strengthen Acura's image
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=honda
Why Acura Isn't Keeping Up
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehi..._0223feat.html
1. In this survey, the general public doesn't have much of an idea of what the brand is/stands for/sells.
2. Looking around on car internet forums, Acura is rarely mentioned outside how bad the RL is and maybe the TL.
Sales are down this year and it could very well be happy Honda owners move up to Acuras. They will Always sell Acuras. Again, nothing bad about them but nothing great.
How exactly does Acura stand out from this more competative and very crowded market? You can say SH-AWD, or loaded cars maybe? Can you say Acura is the best at anything? I find them to be nicer Hondas that are a good jack of all trades. This is not a convincing argument. It can't be their awful concepts?
Even Honda themselves stated, the TL, their best seller and arguably their best car is cross shopped with the ACCORD than any other model.
Just go to the links, Honda is very aware they have a problem.
Honda THEMSELVES say they seek a stronger image with Acura. Your defending the defendless.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=acura
Honda will strengthen Acura's image
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=honda
Why Acura Isn't Keeping Up
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehi..._0223feat.html
1. In this survey, the general public doesn't have much of an idea of what the brand is/stands for/sells.
2. Looking around on car internet forums, Acura is rarely mentioned outside how bad the RL is and maybe the TL.
Sales are down this year and it could very well be happy Honda owners move up to Acuras. They will Always sell Acuras. Again, nothing bad about them but nothing great.
How exactly does Acura stand out from this more competative and very crowded market? You can say SH-AWD, or loaded cars maybe? Can you say Acura is the best at anything? I find them to be nicer Hondas that are a good jack of all trades. This is not a convincing argument. It can't be their awful concepts?
Even Honda themselves stated, the TL, their best seller and arguably their best car is cross shopped with the ACCORD than any other model.
Just go to the links, Honda is very aware they have a problem.
Just about every carmaker makes statements like they would like to do better and improve in certain markets or improve on certain things or are dissapointed with some products/sales so a couple of Acura execs making statements does not mean all that much. Lexus execs have said they wanted more younger buyers and more enthusiasts and more exciting cars.
The Forbes article is from 2003, 5 or so years ago, so it is not really current and that was before the new gen TL design took off and before the new RDX and redesigned MDX came out and Forbes is not the automotive holy grail for information anyway.
This was just one survey from Consumer reports that is usaully pretty flawed, look at some of the results that many are critisizing. Toyota, Honda, even Ford, Chevy, and GMC had a better image then Lexus according to this stupid survey-you should be all over that as it proves most were clueless who participated in this survey yet you pretty much ignored those figures and critisized Acura again because it did not do well in this pointless flawed survey.
I see Acura mentioned plenty in internet forums, NSXprime is pretty huge right now although it had nothing to do with the NSX, but I see Acura vehicles mentioned alot and there are plenty of Acura enthusiasts sites, more then Lexus sites. I don't see where a bunch of people are saying how bad the RL is either, most who actually drive it and sit in it like the car or at least give it credit for a very nice interior and package even if they prefer something else.
To me Acura stands out as making very reliable well built luxury cars with very nice high quality interiors yet they are not overpriced like many of its competitors and offer much more car for the money. Most Acuras handle and drive very well and are generally sportier and funner to drive then most Lexus competitors but Lexus does have a large rwd lux v8 sedan which Acura has no competitor for. Acura could use some work on certain things but so could most makers, Mercedes and BMW will always sell well no matter how good or bad their cars are because of its name. Acura, Infiniti, and even Lexus sell more based on their actual cars and reliability/quality because they don't have quite the prestige as Merc and BMW where people will overpay for those generally very unreliable cars just based on its name.
Soon a new TL will come out with over 300hp, a new more powerful TSX will be coming out, a updated RL, as well as a v10rwd sports car which will likely spawn some rwd Acura sedans and coupes based on its platform which also may use the v10 as well as a rumoured new v8 and will shut up some critics complaining about Acura cars right now.
Even if Acura comes out with a v8 rwd sedan tommorow it does not mean it will automatically be successful. Just having a rwd v8 does not ensure success in this market, look at Infiniti, they have always had a powerful v8 rwd large luxury sedan as well as other rwd models yet they never did well in the past and had to be saved by a entry level 6 cylinder sports sedan/coupe and. Audi has not made much of a dent in the US and it has v8/v12 engines and nice large lux sedans,Lincoln had rwd v8 sedans yet those cars have failed and the brand is close to going under, it is only kept afloat by a giant SUV based on a expedition.
01-08-08, 10:33 PM
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Again, Acura is not a bad brand, their cars are perfectly fine, but they are not doing much of anything the past few years to elevate themselves, while the competition continues to elevate their products. They seem either to be lost or content. Their SH-AWD hasn't done much of anything to bring an image to the brand and that is the only thing I can think of that makes them stand out from everyone else.
You are promising all these future products like Acura has, all bark, no bite, sorry
Even Acura fans agree with the results.
http://www.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382131
Lexus is regarded on par with BMW or Benz, or in some surveys, superior, and much higher than Acura or Infiniti (yet you bunch the Japanese brands together).
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...13/003900.html
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...13/003900.html
Bottom line, I've said it before, I'll say it again and the survey validates my points.
You are promising all these future products like Acura has, all bark, no bite, sorry
Even Acura fans agree with the results.
http://www.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382131
Lexus is regarded on par with BMW or Benz, or in some surveys, superior, and much higher than Acura or Infiniti (yet you bunch the Japanese brands together).
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...13/003900.html
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...13/003900.html
Bottom line, I've said it before, I'll say it again and the survey validates my points.
01-09-08, 05:59 AM
#14
Toyota
