Experian Automotive, a group specializing in automotive market analysis, released its second-quarter 2011 report. The results place Hyundai Motor America at the top in corporate loyalty, marking the first time the Korean company has claimed the top spot in the U.S. market. According to Experian, Hyundai’s corporate loyalty rate of 49.6 percent was enough to take the lead away from General Motors and Ford, which scored 48.1 percent and 47.6 percent, respectively.
Hyundai Motor America’s Kia brand had the highest brand loyalty ranking of any individual marque, at 47.9 percent. The Hyundai brand also performed well in brand loyalty, and was fourth highest in the rankings at 40.5 percent. In addition to being among the top brands in corporate loyalty, Kia had three models in Experian’s top 10 vehicles. According to Experian, the Kia Forte was the top model for customer loyalty at 68 percent, while the Kia Soul ranked fifth at 59 percent and the Forte Koup eighth at 57 percent. GM had the second best-performing model in brand loyalty, with the Chevy Cruze coming in a number two with 64 percent. Ford models rounded out the remainder of the top 10, with the Fiesta coming in third at 63 percent and the Fusion right behind in fourth at 57 percent.
“…Hyundai has been making strides in customer loyalty for several years,” said Jeffrey Anderson, director of consulting and analytics for Experian automotive. “The company’s innovation, 100,000-mile warranty program, and improvements in vehicle styling and quality among both brands have clearly helped them gain and maintain a strong and loyal customer base.”
According to Experian, Hyundai’s increase in corporate loyalty is also helping it gain market share. Experian reports that Hyundai saw the greatest year-to-date percentage increase of any brand, with the Korean automaker shooting from 7.9 percent in Q2 2010 to 9.2 percent in Q2 2011 for a gain of 1.3 percent. To put that in perspective, GM experienced the second largest market share gain with an increase of 0.5 percent in the same period, rising from 19.1 percent in Q2 2010 to 19.6 percent in Q2 2011.
