J.D. Power calculates satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale based on delivery process, dealer personnel, working out the deal, paperwork completion, dealership facility and dealership website. J.D. Power said the study surveyed 35,816 buyers who purchased or leased a new vehicle from January through June 2020.
The Ford Motor Co. luxury brand has refocused its strategy toward customer service experiences, starting with its standard pickup and delivery in 2016. The automaker has also partnered with mental fitness app Calm to enhance ownership, and the brand is working to build Lincoln-only showrooms to offer customers a better retail experience.
Lexus and Mercedes-Benz finished 1 point below Lincoln, with 826 points each. Lexus jumped up 6 points from its 2019 score of 820, and Mercedes increased by 1 point.
Porsche shared third place with Cadillac and Infiniti, at 825 points.
Genesis had the best improvement from last year, with an increase of 45 points, but still remained in last place among luxury brands, at 773.
The luxury brand average increased by 11 points in 2020 to 816.
Porsche and Alfa Romeo both saw their scores decline.
Tesla was profiled for the first time this year, scoring 804 points, but "the automaker is not officially ranked among other brands in the study because it doesn't meet ranking criteria," the study said.
Tesla doesn't grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it is required. Tesla's score was calculated based on a sample of surveys from owners in the other states.
Mass-market brands
Mini improved its score by 34 points from 2019, to 824, bumping Buick out of the lead.
GMC ranked second, with 804 points, 13 points higher than last year.
Ranking third was Buick, whose score also increased, from 795 to 803.
The Ford brand came in fourth, at 798 — a 16-point gain from 2019.
The mass-market average went up by 12 points to 784.
