The old saying goes, "The customer is always right."
But, are they?
I believe most people attribute this to Steve Jobs, but someone once said that customer's don't even know what they want — I tend to agree. And when it comes to automobiles, which can be an emotional purchase as well as a status symbol, you better believe they're not exactly looking at it from a completely objective perspective.
That said, the folks at Consumer Reports did their annual Owner Satisfaction Score and came up with some rather telling results. The Top 5 were as follows:
1) Tesla
2) Porsche
3) Genesis
4) Chrysler
5) Audi
From where I sit I find these results interesting. While I know the Teslarati adore their vehicles and the community is akin to a cult, we all know the products have their fair share of problems. The same can be said of Chrysler and Audi products. They're far from perfect.
This begs the question: Does it even matter if you make a GREAT product that's RELIABLE, or does it just have to stir something in the soul?
Is this what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been essentially proving all of these years with their love for Alfa Romeo?
...The following chart shows which brands satisfy drivers after living with their vehicles for three years. Tesla and Porsche hold the top two spots on the list of brands ranked by the average of their models’ Owner Satisfaction Scores. For a fuller picture, we also indicate how many places each brand has climbed or dropped since last year, and provide ratings for four of the six categories owners evaluate. Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury spinoff, was the only brand to score a top rating in all of them.
Read Article