SUV/MUV buyers report increased satisfaction levels in latest TNS Automotive India study

New Delhi, August 31, 2012: If you are in the market for an SUV or MUV, you’re in a pleasant dealership experience. This is what comes across in the latest TNS Automotive market study.

As per the findings of the 2012 Car Buyers Sales Satisfaction (CBSS) Study, the Indian car market seems to have awakened to the SUV/MUV segment and dealerships are doing all they can to convert potential buyers into customers. The study has revealed that recent buyers in the SUV/MPV and premium SUV segments show the highest satisfaction levels with their buying experience.

The syndicated automotive sales satisfaction study in India represents the responses of 3,275 new car buyers across 28 cities and covers 61 car models with customer evaluations taken in the key area of sales satisfaction.

“It is remarkable that the carmakers were able to keep their customers happy even when they had to wait to buy the cars of their choice,” said Pradeep Saxena, executive director, TNS Automotive. “That is probably the reason why the customers continued to wait rather than go for the alternate models” he added.

Customer expectations vary with the car category. While the opening and closing times of a dealership hold great importance for the Entry Compact category, it is not so for Premium Compact car buyers who seek a convenient location of dealership. Relatively higher priced cars are able to deliver better satisfaction as the scores of the models in the Entry Luxury, SUV/MUV and Premium SUV categories are among the highest.

Overall, the industry score is high (95), indicating a highly stable car buying experience. However, this also poses the challenge of building a differentiation in the car buyer’s experience which cannot be easily replicated by the competitors.