Toyota Bumps Ford in Loyalty Rankings

January 19, 2006
Toyota has blown by Ford as the car brand with the most loyal customers in R.L. Polk & Co.'s annual survey of new vehicle purchases. That ends a nine-year Ford streak at the top of the loyalty list.

Toyota won the overall brand award for posting the highest loyalty to an automotive division.

Almost 55 percent of Toyota owners who bought a new car during the 2005 model year purchased another Toyota. The average owner loyalty for all brands is about 44 percent, according to Polk's data. Ford had a slightly lower buyer retention rate last year at 53.4 percent.

General Motors continued to outpace the rest of the industry in terms of manufacturer loyalty, winning for the sixth consecutive year in the overall manufacturer category.

Sixty-three percent of GM owners returning to market in 2005 opted for another new GM vehicle.

GM's success was, in part, due to the sheer size of the company's product line and the number of brands it encompasses. A smaller company simply wouldn't have as much to offer a customer who was looking for a new type of vehicle, said Lonnie Miller, director of industry analysis for Polk.

Quality and reliability are probably major reasons that Toyota owners stick with the brand, said Miller.

"They don't have to worry about the biggest aspect of what's under their butt when they're driving," he said.

Here are the 2005 loyalty winners with the percentage of owners who bought the same vehicle after selling or trading their old vehicle: