German firms lag in customer satisfaction

German automakers lagged behind their Japanese competitors in customer satisfaction in after-sales services in Korea, a vehicle research report showed Sunday.

According to a yearly assessment by Marketing Insight based on a consumer survey on major carmakers, Volkswagen and BMW shared the lowest score of 746 out of 1,000 points in the after-sales sector.

Audi and Mercedes-Benz posted 768 and 808 points, respectively, but none of the four German companies outperformed any of the five major Japanese players.

Lexus topped the satisfaction list with 837 points, followed by Infiniti with 835 points, Honda Motor with 832 points, Toyota Motor with 824 points and Nissan with 811 points.

Further, the scores of Audi, Volkswagen and BMW were also lower than those of GM Korea (810 points), Ssangyong Motor (809), Renault Samsung Motors (807) and Hyundai Motor (782).

Marketing Insight data showed that the German companies drew many complaints as they failed to meet demands for after-sales service from local consumers.

An executive director of Marketing Insight stressed that more and more consumers are prioritizing after-sales service when they choose cars, adding that “Japanese companies are dismissing prevalent worries over lax services of import brands.”

For the import automobile industry, the poll results seem to contrast the sales rankings, under which the four German brands have been enjoying the four top sales numbers in Korea.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Audi capture about 65 percent of the local import automobile market among 24 members of the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association.

“Though import brands have been reporting brisk performance, some companies are suffering a continuous drop in monthly sales,” said an executive at the association.

He said the sales gap between German brands and the other players widened over the past year.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)