J. D. Powers Customer Retention Study Shows Toyota Owners are Most Loyal

Why Does Mazda Experience One of the Lowest Retention Rates of Any Nameplate?

Is there any third party survey that Toyota or its Lexus luxury division doesn't dominate? Yes, its Lexus division only placed 5th

J.D. Powers most recent Customer Retention Study (CRS) put Toyota at the top of the list. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

out of 39 nameplates in the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), while the Toyota brand placed well below average in 28th.

But such results are rare, with its first place finish in the corporate ranking category of the J.D. Powers 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS) and 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), the two most influential surveys to North Americans.

For what would seem like good reasoning, J.D. Powers most recent Customer Retention Study (CRS), a study that is now in its second year, puts the automaker at the top of the list as well. Of the 171,000 new-vehicle buyers and lessees surveyed, of which 103,088 replaced a vehicle that was originally purchased new, 60.6

"The redesigned Sienna minivan has been particularly successful in capturing former owners of Plymouth Voyager, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Caravan, Mazda MPV and Oldsmobile Silhouette models," said J.D. Powers Director of product research Neal Oddes. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

percent of Toyota owners repurchased another Toyota, which is more often than any other brand managed to retain its customers, and this while more than half of all new car buyers change brands when trading in.

"Not only does Toyota offer its owners a wide range of vehicles to move up to as their financial means and stage in life change, but also the brand is highly successful in attracting new customers to the lineup, due in large part to its strong reputation for vehicle quality and high vehicle resale values," commented Neal Oddes, director of product research at J.D. Power and Associates. "The redesigned Sienna minivan has been particularly successful in capturing former owners of Plymouth Voyager, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Caravan, Mazda MPV and Oldsmobile Silhouette models."