Tag: customer

Official: Toyota gives a free RAV4 to 50-millionth customer [w/video]

Filed under: Car Buying, Videos, Crossover, Toyota

50-millionth Toyota giveaway

Not surprisingly, the 50-millionth Toyota product sold in the US was a Camry, but Toyota had a big surprise in store for Michael Dee, the buyer of said milestone vehicle. Toyota group vice president Bill Fay showed up at Dee’s house to not only personally thank him for the purchase, but also completely paid off that brand new Camry, presenting the owner with a clear title.

But that wasn’t all. As you can tell from the image above, Fay had one more trick up his sleeve. The group VP brought along a brand new 2013 Toyota RAV4, which was also presented to Dee in appreciation. The best part is that Dee’s genuine amazement was all caught on video, which is posted below.

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Toyota gives a free RAV4 to 50-millionth customer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Car customer satisfaction down for first time in two years

Filed under: Etc.

ACSI study finds that car customer satisfaction fell slightly from last year.

Car customer satisfaction fell for the first time in two years, according to the 2013 American Customer Satisfaction Index automobiles and light vehicles report. Over the course of 4,078 random phone and e-mail interviews between April 6 and May 22, the index, based on a scale of 0 to 100, revealed that customer satisfaction with automobiles fell from 84 in 2012 to 83. Domestic autos bring up the rear.

Domestic vehicles, which received an average score of 82, also lost traction in perceived quality, with European automakers ranking 84.7 and Asian brands close behind at 84.1. This is reflected in the scores of the 20 individual automakers counted in the study.

Mercedes-Benz is at the top of the index with a score of 88, up four percent from last year. Lexus relinquished its lead with a score of 87, down two percent from 2012. Third place is a three way tie between Subaru, Toyota and Honda, which all scored 86. Here are the rest of the scores in order: GMC (85), Cadillac (85), Volkswagen (84), Acura (83), Ford (83), Nissan (83), Chrysler (83), Buick (82), BMW (82), Hyundai (82), Kia (82), Mazda (82), All Others (81), Jeep (80), Dodge (79) and Chevrolet (79). It’s worth noting that both GMC and Chrysler gained five points from last year.

While it’s not a good sign that customer satisfaction went down, the authors of the report explained that it could be due to “greater customer expectations that the automakers are then challenged to meet.” But the ACSI says automakers should take the erosion in customer satisfaction as a warning signal: once pent-up demand has subsided, successful brands will keep the customers they have and poach new ones from elsewhere, and customer satisfaction plays a direct role in this relationship.

Car customer satisfaction down for first time in two years originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda shares some landscape love with a dedicated customer

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Honda

Honda Facebook love

Honda shares the love – Click above for image gallery

Just before Christmas, dedicated Honda lover Chris W. showed his affection for Soichiro’s brand by mowing a Honda logo into his front lawn. Chris’s photos made it to Facebook, and eventually caught the attention of Honda itself, through the brand’s huge network of fans.

Thanks in part to loving owners like Chris, Honda’s Facebook page recently broke through the 1,000,000-fan barrier. To commemorate this social media milestone, Honda took a page right out of Chris W.’s book and etched his name into the front lawn of its Torrance, California, headquarters. Check out Honda’s Facebook page to see the fan love for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Johnathan!

Gallery: Honda shows its appreciation for fans

Honda's Torrance, Ca. corportate headquarters lawnHonda fan Chris W.'s yard

[Source: Facebook]

Honda shares some landscape love with a dedicated customer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Audi R8 GT delivered to customer

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi

2011 Audi R8 GT

2011 Audi R8 GT – Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi had no problem selling its entire allocation of R8 GTs after the car debuted at the Paris Auto Show. It shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, the GT is Audi’s ultimate version of the R8 with a 560-horsepower V10 engine and extensive use of carbon fiber components. The Four Ringed Automaker claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of a touch under 200 mph. Only a limited number will be produced as well, with a scant 333 available worldwide.

Those lucky few customers will soon be getting their hands on the cars, as Audi has announced it has recently started deliveries of the R8 GT. The very first customer, a UK resident, took possession of his new car painted in Phantom Black. Color us jealous. Audi’s PR on the delivery of the first R8 GT is after the jump. Feel free to ignore that entirely, though, if you find yourself caught up in the high-res image gallery below… we understand.

Gallery: 2011 Audi R8 GT

2011 Audi R8 GT2011 Audi R8 GT2011 Audi R8 GT2011 Audi R8 GT2011 Audi R8 GT

[Source: Audi]

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First Audi R8 GT delivered to customer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW Z4 GT3 undergoes first round of customer tests

Filed under: Motorsports, Convertible, Europe, BMW, Racing

2011 BMW Z4 GT3

2011 BMW Z4 GT3 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 BMW Z4 GT3 proved it can win races back in January when it took the overall victory at the Dubai 24 Hours. Never one to rest on its laurels, BMW took the car from the winners circle in Dubai and put it right back on a test track. After a good beating throughout March, BMW made aerodynamic and electronic tweaks to get the racer into absolute state-of-the-art shape for customer entries in 2011 GT3 competition.

The BMW Z4 GT3 resembles its production cousin in name and basic shape only. Most of its body panels have been significantly altered to keep the car slipping through the air and bolted to the road.

Under the hood, the production Z’s six-cylinder heart has been ripped out and replaced with the same 4.4-liter V8 that sees duty in the M3. The V8 feeds power to the ground through a six-speed paddle-shifted sequential manual. Stuffing all that engineering know-how into the Z4 GT3 isn’t cheap, either; the car retails at just north of $450,000. Full press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 BMW Z4 GT3

2011 BMW Z4 GT32011 BMW Z4 GT32011 BMW Z4 GT32011 BMW Z4 GT3

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW Z4 GT3 undergoes first round of customer tests

BMW Z4 GT3 undergoes first round of customer tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi makes it right with disgruntled customer, loans free S4 until order arrives

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Audi

Audi S4

2010 Audi S4 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ordering a special edition luxury vehicle from Germany can take some time. The plant needs to put you in the production queue with the rest of the orders, shipping across the Atlantic can eat up weeks and parts availability can also throw off timing. Such a protracted timeline played out for Audi forum member Datz as he waited for his brand new S4, except three months became five months and then his December order led to a July delivery.

Instead of sitting back and listening to excuse after excuse from the dealership, Datz reportedly took to the Internets in search of justice. The expectant owner even sent a note out to Audi U.S.A. chief Johan de Nysschen, and he says he focused his vitriol on Audi’s goal to be the global leader in luxury autos instead of complaining about his plight at the dealership.

Instead of ignoring the email, de Nysschen took action, calling the disgruntled buyer to see how he could hep. The Audi boss apologized for the delays, telling him that his $2,500 Daytona Gray paint job and trunk component delays were the issue, though he reportedly added that those issues are Audi’s, not his.

Calling the customer was a very cool thing for de Nysschen to do, but he went a monumental leap forward by providing a 2010 S4 loaner to use while he waited for his new vehicle. He also called the plant and had production moved up to April, with a June delivery date. Nicely done Audi, and way to use the Internet to your advantage, Datz! Now you can beat the snot out of the loaner to get it out of your system before you get your own S4 to coddle.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Audi S4

Photos copyright (C)2011 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

[Source: Audizine.com via Quattro World via Motor Authority]

Audi makes it right with disgruntled customer, loans free S4 until order arrives originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Too much? Chinese customer orders $670k gilded Fiat 500

Filed under: Convertible, China, Luxury, Fiat

Fiat 500C La Dolce Vita by Fenice Milano

Fiat 500C “La Dolce Vita” – Click above for high-res image gallery, follow the jump for video

The beauty of the Fiat 500 is that it’s loaded with Italian style, but comes cheaper than anything this side of a Vespa. So if you were in the market, how much would you consider spending on a Cinquecento? $20K? Maybe $30k for a fully-loaded Abarth? How about €500,000? That’s equivalent to about $670,000, and stands as the absurd price some anonymous Chinese businessman has apparently paid for a particularly opulent tacky example of the retro minicar.

The order came to Fenice Milano, the Italian studio whose Liberace-grade work we’ve reported on previously. They started with a 500C Abarth convertible, slathered it in paint infused with real 24k gold flakes, decked the interior out in teak, replaced the brightwork with more 24k gold and gave it a diamond-studded iPad docking into the dashboard. And just for good measure, they let Romeo Ferraris have at it. Their tuning jacked the stock 140-horsepower engine up to 200 hp, and they added Brembo brakes and a custom suspension for good measure.

The end result is about as nauseating an example of nouveau-riche excess as you’re likely to find. If the owner thinks that by tying in his investment to a solid commodity like gold to stave off the negative effects of depreciation, he may be in for a rude awakening come resale time. Check out the video footage after the jump and the updated high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Fiat 500C “La Dolce Vita” by Fenice Milano

[Source: Fenice Milano via CarScoop]

Continue reading Too much? Chinese customer orders $670k gilded Fiat 500

Too much? Chinese customer orders $670k gilded Fiat 500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Rental car companies increase customer satisfaction, Enterprise tops

Filed under: Etc.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car

Economists and talking heads argue endlessly about our economy on a daily basis. “It’s back!,” “It’s almost back!” and “It’s never coming back!” seem to be the leaders among the varied viewpoints we hear and read about. One sector that has apparently begun to rebound is the car rental business. Not necessarily in financial terms, but from the standpoint of customer satisfaction, America’s rental car companies are returning to to a position last seen in the pre-recession days.

J.D. Power has released its annual North American Rental Car Satisfaction Study, and the results are positive for every company included in the survey. Now in its 15th year, this J.D. Power study examines customer satisfaction with the airport car rental process, and it looks at six specific factors: Costs & Fees, Pick-Up Process, Rental Car, Return Process, Reservation Process, and Shuttle Bus/Van. The highest score possible is 1,000 points and, for the 2010 study, the average Overall Satisfaction score is 750. This is up from 733 in 2009 and 734 in 2008. Every company in the survey has improved year-over-year in the survey.

This year’s big winner, however, is Enterprise, which received the industry’s highest rankings in customer satisfaction. Enterprise is no stranger to this award, and getting the nod in 2010 makes it seven years in a row for the rental car company. Following behind Enterprise, Hertz and National also performed quite well in the survey while Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Dollar and Thrifty rounded out the results. You can see how each one performed over at the J.D. Power results page.

[Source: J.D. Power]

Continue reading Study: Rental car companies increase customer satisfaction, Enterprise tops

Study: Rental car companies increase customer satisfaction, Enterprise tops originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Volt’s first customers will be 15-person Customer Advisory Board

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Sedan, Chevrolet, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lyle Dennis. Bill Nye. Jim Woolsey. Brian Wynne. What do these people have in common, besides being featured at one time or another on AutoblogGreen? They are all members of the new Chevrolet Volt Customer Advisory Board that General Motors announced today (disclosure: AutoblogGreen columnist Chelsea Sexton is also on the panel).

So, what will the 15 people who make up the board actually do? Basically, they’re getting a Volt before you do and will tell GM what’s working and what isn’t. More specifically, they will be the first people who get to, “experience the Volt every day under real-world conditions during a three-month vehicle and charging evaluation program starting in late October.”

The 15 (see all the names after the jump, and note the number of electric vehicle enthusiasts included) volunteered for the position and Chevy picked people who knew the most about electric vehicles and also happen to live in one of the initial markets where the Volt will be available. Besides getting a three-month test vehicle, board members will get a free 240-volt charging station, “for the duration of the vehicle evaluation program.” Sexton is excited about the group, and said in a statement that:

It’s great to see Chevrolet tap into both experienced and new electric vehicle enthusiasts for real-world feedback. This is a great opportunity to not only provide meaningful input to the Volt team, but also to raise awareness using a real, available electric vehicle instead of a PowerPoint slide.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

[Source: GM]

Continue reading Chevy Volt’s first customers will be 15-person Customer Advisory Board

Chevy Volt’s first customers will be 15-person Customer Advisory Board originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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