Spread the love

Franchised motor dealer’s trade body, the NFDA has published the results of it’s latest dealer attitude survey, covering winter 2017. The survey found there had been a decline in how dealers would they rate their manufacturers overall from last summer, but the situation was on par with this time last year.

The NFDA got responses from 1,704 dealers representing 29 different brand’s franchise networks, 41% of the total.

Results summary:

  • Mercedes was top scoring franchise with a score of 9.6, up 0.1 points compared to summer 2016, 0.3 points higher than in the same period last year.
  • Kia came in second, up 0.1 point to 9.3.
  • Lexus took third placed franchise with a total of 9.0 points, which is unchanged from last summer.
  • Suzuki and BMW close out the top five with 8.6 and 8.2 points respectively.
  • Bottom of the table were Citroen (3.8), Mitsubishi (3.9), Volkswagen (3.9) and Nissan (4.0). Apart from Citroen, which saw its score improving by 0.2 points, the other three have experienced significant declines.

Talking about the findings, Sue Robinson Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) said, “The overall relationship between franchised car dealers and manufacturers recorded an average score of 6.1 in winter 2017, which is unchanged from the same time last year, but 0.1 lower than in the summer 2016 survey.”

“A number of manufacturers have clearly taken into consideration previous negative scores and now improved their position, showing that strengthening the dealer-manufacturer relationship requires effort, but is achievable.

“Dealer networks such as Mercedes and Kia have consistently performed well over the last few years, but it is also positive to see that other networks, such as Peugeot and Mazda, have shown enormous increases in score within the survey.

“However, average scores across the majority of the questions have generally worsened. In such a critical period, it is fundamental that manufacturers and dealers continue to constructively work together towards the same ultimate objective which is ensuring that the automotive industry is well represented at all levels and continues to thrive.”

Got a spare 30 seconds?

 Help us to provide you with better market insight by completing a very short survey. It is anonymous and only takes 30 seconds. You will get free access to the quarterly results.

Thinking of the switch to electric?

Need help in finding the right electric vehicle for you? Compare driving range, battery capacity, charging time, price, and features to find the perfect EV for you.