05 March 2018

Franchised retailers have again punished their manufacturer partners with a new all-time low score in the latest NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey. The January 2018 survey saw a drop of 0.3 to a score of 5.3 out of 10 for the main question: ‘How would you rate your manufacturer overall?’

This marks the third time in a row the six-monthly survey has produced a new all-time low score.

Almost every question in the 43-question NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey scored below the August 2017 figure. Only three topics saw an improvement; demonstrators, finance targets and consumer offers. Questions about parts and pre-registrations scored the same as the preceding survey.

Three brands took equal first place in the latest survey; Toyota, Kia and Mercedes, each scored 8.9. However, of the three, only Toyota increased its score.

Behind the top placed brands were Lexus and Suzuki with scores of 8.6 and 7.9 respectively.

The bottom four places in the survey were taken by the four FCA brands; Abarth (2.5), Jeep (2.4), Fiat (2.0) and Alfa Romeo (1.4). Alfa Romeo’s score was one of the lowest in the history of the NFDA survey. Abarth was also this survey’s fastest faller down from a score of 5.9 six months ago.

Just ahead of the FCA brands were Citroen and Jaguar.

The most improved brand was Nissan which last time took last place, but has since boosted its score from 2.6 to 4.8.

The main NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey ranking is below, along with the ‘winners and losers’ chart. However, for a full report on the January 2018 NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey see Auto Retail Bulletin. Sign up for a trial subscription here.

Tags: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Dealer Attitude Survey, FCA, Fiat, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Mercedes, NFDA, Toyota