Satisfaction, loyalty up among medium-duty customers

Hino, Peterbilt, and Kenworth came out as big winners in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 surveys on medium-duty truck satisfaction and dealer services. The medium-duty trucks were evaluated on satisfaction based on six factors, ordered by importance: vehicle quality, engine, transmission, ride, handling and braking, cab interior, and exterior design and styling.

Hino’s cabover medium-duty trucks ranked highest in overall vehicle satisfaction for the third consecutive year, announced J.D. Power and Associates. For this segment, Hino leads in five of six ratings on satisfaction factors, with its cab interior being noted as its greatest strength. Among cabover customers Hino represents 14% of sales in the segment.

Peterbilt’s 330 Model was benchmarked in the study and ranked highest in customer satisfaction among conventional medium-duty trucks. The model performed “slightly above average” on each of the six factors of vehicle satisfaction.

In a dealer service satisfaction survey, Kenworth ranked highest, performing significantly higher in six of seven key factors.

Satisfaction and loyalty among conventional and cabover owners are both at a three-year high, J.D. Power noted. Nearly half of medium-duty truck owners surveyed intend to purchase the same make on their next order.

“Manufacturers are doing a better job of satisfying customer needs for a quality truck that is comfortable, functional and performs well, leading to higher brand loyalty results,” said Brian Etchells, research manager in J.D. Power’s commercial vehicle group.