Maruti Suzuki top consideration among new car buyers: JD Power

Global marketing information services firm, JD Power, has surveyed 8,116 buyers and 2,983 rejecters of new cars and new utility vehicles in India who purchased their vehicle between September 2014 and April 2015.

The study, which is now in its 18th year, reveals that new car buyers prefer buying larger models as opposed to small cars. In 2015, the percentage of new vehicle shoppers who consider small cars during their shopping process has decreased to 45 per cent from 65 per cent in 2012. Concurrently, the percentage of shoppers who consider utility vehicles and midsize cars has increased by 12 percentage points and seven percentage points, respectively.

The survey further reveals that in 2015 more new vehicle buyers i.e. 41 per cent researched the vehicle they considered buying as opposed to 35 per cent last year. Fifty-one per cent prospective new vehicle buyers considering a newly launched model used Internet as a source of information for vehicle research than those who considered an existing model.

The study also revealed that among shoppers who considered a new model 30 per cent rejected it citing the price of the model as its prime reason for rejection. Twenty-one per cent people rejected a new model due to its exterior design while 18 per cent rejected the model due to the fuel economy figures.

The survey also revealed that Maruti Suzuki is the most considered nameplate among new-vehicle shoppers for the 11th consecutive year, with 40 per cent of all shoppers purchasing one of its models. Overall customer retention is at 37 per cent in 2015, down slightly from 38 per cent in 2014. Toyota has improved its customer retention rate the most from 2014.