DAIMLER AG - Four first places for Mercedes-Benz: this is the result of the latest survey on driver satisfaction conducted by world renowned market research company J.D. Power and Associates. Vehicles emerging as clear winners in their categories include the A-Class, C-Class and the E-Class. In addition, Mercedes-Benz also took overall first place in the study among all brands. As a result, no other brand has customers which are as satisfied as those of Mercedes-Benz. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz has also been voted the strongest brand in the ADAC AutoMarxX study.
The owner of a car is best placed to know its strengths and weaknesses. This realisation is what forms the basis for the J.D. Power 2012 Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSSSM). As part of the study, some 14,296 drivers in Germany responded to an online survey to assess the quality and reliability of their cars, all of which had been driven for around two years. In addition to awarding marks for service and ownership costs, drivers also assessed how appealing they considered their cars to be. Based on the responses received, the market researchers drew up comprehensive lists of those vehicles achieving best satisfaction, comprising 79 models from 25 manufacturers in eight categories. In four of these categories Mercedes-Benz has taken first place:
• in the ranking "Overall VOSS – Brands", Mercedes-Benz fought off competition from all brands to emerge victorious overall
• the A-Class scored top marks for satisfaction in the Compact Class
• in the Midsize Premium category, the C-Class secured first place in the satisfaction assessment – for the third time in succession
• the E-Class left all other competitors in its wake when it came to customer satisfaction in the Executive Luxury Car category – just as in the previous year
According to Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars responsible for Sales and Marketing: "We are delighted that we have once again been able to secure the top places in the J.D. Power Study 2012. Our aim in the future is to continue to set the highest of standards, not only in terms of quality, service, and ecology, but of course also with our exciting designs, inspirational technology and high levels of driving pleasure. As a result we hope that the Mercedes-Benz brand will continue to be extremely well received by our customers."
The J.D. Power Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study undertaken by the global market research company J.D. Power, based in Los Angeles, is seen as an important guide for buyers.
Currently the strongest automotive brand in Germany
Mercedes-Benz has also succeeded in securing first place in the latest ADAC AutoMarxX study, currently emerging as Germany's strongest automotive brand. Mercedes-Benz impressed with the availability of its innovative active and passive safety features across the entire model range. In addition, Mercedes-Benz also performs best when it comes to CO2 emissions across its entire model range.
The ADAC has been conducting the AutoMarxX study to assess the performance and market strengths of Germany's main automotive manufacturers since 2001. It is based on a number of individual categories, including brand image, market strength, customer satisfaction, product strength, environmental performance and safety levels.