Till date, Toyota launched the new Innova and Etios Cross this year. But that wasn’t enough to bring smile to the face of Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ top brass, a study claimed the Toyota ranks highest dealer satisfaction with automotive manufacturers, may have made the automaker’s day.
As per the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2014 India Dealer Satisfaction with Automotive Manufacturers Index (DSWAMI) Study, auto manufacturers in India are striving to help their dealers cope with a slowing domestic market by helping them improve the after-sales aspect of their business.
Overall dealer satisfaction with automotive manufacturers averages 827 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2014, up from 817 points in 2013. Satisfaction improves across eight of the nine factors, most notably in parts, after-sales team and warranty claims.
Further, the study revealed, automakers are increasingly helping dealers fund their spare parts inventories, as 48 percent of dealers indicate receiving financial assistance to buy spare parts stock in 2014, up from 41 percent in 2013.
Nearly half (48%) of dealers indicate their warranty claims are settled within 15 days, compared with 42 percent in 2013.
Overall, 19 percent of dealers perceive that their automaker does not have a range of vehicles to compete effectively in the market. Dealers that indicate their automaker does not have a range to effectively compete have an average overall satisfaction score 118 points below the study average.
Toyota tops the list in dealer satisfaction claiming the hat with a score of 925. Toyota performed particularly well in eight of the nine factors. Followed by Maruti Suzuki on the second position, the Indian carmaker scored 884. Third on the list was filled by Honda at 869.
The 2014 India DSWAMI Study is based on responses from 658 dealer principals or dealership general managers located in more than 200 cities throughout India. The study was conducted in association with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) and was fielded between February and March 2014.