J.D Power Asia Pacific have released the findings of their new study titled "2013 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study". The study measures the sales satisfaction in the luxury and mass markets, and does have an interesting result: "Luxury automakers in India are not doing enough during the sales experience to significantly differentiate themselves from the mass-market automakers".
Regular readers may remember that the SSI for mass market carmakers was released in late August and saw Honda and Maruti-Suzuki top the list with 849 points (on a scale of 1,000).
BMW tops the SSI for luxury brands with a score of 881 points. While the industry average is 873, Mercedes-Benz comes second with 872 points and Audi last with 866 points.
Mohit Arora, executive director, J.D Power Asia Pacific, says -
With customers paying much more for a luxury vehicle, they are likely have higher expectations during the sales process. Even when their expectations are being met, it is surprising that their satisfaction is not significantly higher than mass-market vehicle buyers’ satisfaction.
The study also notices trends that drives luxury and mass market purchases. While vehicle performance and safety are at the forefront for luxury car buyers, mass market customers look for brand reputation and reliability. The study also finds that 68% of luxury car buyers have at least two vehicles in their household.
More details can be found in the press release below.
J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2013 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study - Press Release
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