Mercedes-Benz Tops J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Study

Mercedes-Benz Tops J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Study
Ram ProMaster City Starts at $24,125
Chevy Teases Vision Gran Turismo Concept Ahead of LA
Land Rover Eyes Hardcore 4x4s
2011 Toyota Camry Recalled for Suspension Issue
LaFerrari XX Rumored for December Debut

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European brands provide U.S. car shoppers the most satisfying dealership experience according to the 2014 J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index Study.

Overall, Mercedes-Benz provides the most pleasurable new car buying experience according to the study. The company scored a total of 726 points out of 1,000, representing a 33-point increase over last year. Mini scored 727 points, which is enough to make it the most satisfying mainstream brand in this year's study.

The rest of the top five luxury brands in descending order are Infiniti, Jaguar, which is last year's winner, Lexus and Porsche. On the other end of the list, Cadillac, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Lincoln, Land Rover and Acura all scored below average in customer satisfaction.

GM managed to secure three of the top four spots. Buick is second on the list and also saw the largest improvement among mass market brands gaining 32 points for a total of 726. Rounding out the top five from top to bottom are Chevy, GMC and Fiat. Ten mass market brands scored below the average. From best to worst they are Nissan, Chrysler, Subaru, Mazda, Scion, Kia, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Mitsubishi.

On average, the mass market industry improved satisfaction by 12 points while luxury brands average increased by 16. Only two brands had losses: Porsche and Kia.

The biggest factor for improving sales satisfaction according to JD Power is the salesperson's ability to fully understand a customer's needs. "With such tech-heavy vehicles today, introducing product specialists into the sales process helps improve the delivery process and customer understanding of how to operate key features," said Chris Sutton, vice president of the automotive retail practice at J.D. Power.

Product specialists are becoming increasingly important with 19 percent of luxury-car buyers saying they worked with a product specialist compared to 15 percent of mass-market buyers. The use of tablets in the dealership is also increasing, up to 22 percent of dealerships compared to 18 percent a year earlier.

To get these results, responses were collected from 29,805 consumers who bought or leased a new vehicle in April or May, 2014.

Discuss this story at our Mercedes Forum

Ram ProMaster City Starts at $24,125

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All three of the Detroit automakers have jumped into the small cargo van market, and the latest entry has now been priced.

Ram will sell the base ProMaster City in Tradesman trim for a starting price of $24,125, while the top of the line Wagon SLT model will go for $26,650. Fuel economy numbers were also released for the new cargo van, coming in at 21 mpg city, 29 on the highway for a combined rating of 24 mpg.

Powering the new small van is a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine that makes 178 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, hooked up to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Between the wheel wells, the ProMaster City offers 48.4-inches of floor space, while the roof comes in at 51.8-inches tall. Overall cargo volume sits at 131.7 cubic-feet, allowing the ProMaster City a best-in-class title for volume.

The Wagon version offers seating for five thanks to a three passenger second row that incorporates a 60/40 split folding seat.

When you compare the pricing to its competition, the ProMaster is more expensive. The Chevy City Express starts at $22,950 while its nearly identical twin, the Nissan NV200, starts at $21,100. However, neither of those offer as much power or space as the Ram.

Discuss this story at our Ram ProMaster Forum

Chevy Teases Vision Gran Turismo Concept Ahead of LA

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A brand new Vision Gran Turismo Concept will be unveiled at the upcoming LA Auto Show.

Chevrolet will take the wraps off the Chaparral 2X VGT Concept on November 19, revealing the latest chapter in the Vision Gran Turismo project, which invites manufacturers to design futuristic concepts that can be raced in the popular video game.

The car was put together in conjunction with Chaparral cars, which has been a long time partner of Chevrolet's racing arm. "It will serve as an example of what our designers are capable of when they are cut loose, no holds barred," said Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design.

SEE ALSO: 2014 LA Auto Show Preview

Gran Turismo players will be granted access to the Chaparral 2X VGT via an online update that will become available during the holiday season.

Discuss this story at our Chevy Forum

Land Rover Eyes Hardcore 4x4s

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Land Rover vehicles are already off-road capable, but the company wants to take things further.

Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division is already responsible for several hot projects and now the company is turning its attention on developing more hardcore off-road models sporting the Land Rover badge. According to the division head John Edwards, SVO wants to focus on developing four different types of cars: on-road performance cars, all-terrain performance cars, luxury derivatives and collector's editions like the Jaguar Project 7. The all-terrain performance cars are something the division hasn't developed yet but is looking forward to pushing the Land Rover nameplate to new heights.

"Land Rover has that all-terrain capability built into all its products, but we need to give customers the permission to use it," said Edwards. The focus for SVO? Simple, it's all about making the performance "usable" and making Land Rover more "abusable rather than too precious."

Though Edwards didn't say which nameplates will get the serious off-road treatment, he did hint that the Defender and Range Rover models are high candidates. Recent rumors revealed that the Land Rover Defender would be getting attention from SVO so don't be surprised if that's the first one out of the gate.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Discuss this story at our Land Rover forum

2011 Toyota Camry Recalled for Suspension Issue

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Toyota announced a recall that affects 170,000 Camry sedans globally.

There are only 56 units in the U.S. All of the affected vehicles were built at the Japanese automaker's Tsutsumi Plant in Aichi, Japan and were exported to the U.S. territories of Guam and Saipan. According to the recall notice, the affected vehicles have a faulty rubber boot on the front lower ball joint that could have been damaged by insufficiently maintained equipment. According to Toyota, if the rubber boot is damaged, lubricant grease inside the ball joint could leak and cause the ball joint to wear and loosen prematurely.

If the Camry is operated in a condition where the ball joint is loosened, the joint could separate from the knuckle and cause a loss of vehicle control. No crashes, injuries or fatalities related to the recall have been documented and affected owners will be notified through first class mail. Toyota dealerships will inspect the rubber boots and replace the ball joint if necessary.

Discuss this story at our Toyota forum

LaFerrari XX Rumored for December Debut

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How does a Ferrari sporting over 1,000 hp sound to you?

The more hardcore LaFerrari XX supercar is rumored to be ready for a debut next month at the company's World Finals in Abu Dhabi, Top Gear reports. As the most extreme production-based car that the Italian automaker has ever built, the LaFerrari XX will make around 1,050 hp, which is a good 100 hp more than the production variant. But don't expect forced induction to find its way on the LaFerrari XX as was rumored previously, it is being reported that Ferrari will stick to the hybrid V12 powertrain with additional power coming from the engine itself and not the electric motors.

Considering that the LaFerrari XX will be track only, expect moire aggressive aerodynamics as well as coming straight from the factory with race-spec rubber and race bucket seats inside. And just like its predecessor, the Enzo-based FXX, the LaFerrari XX and its owners will get plenty of track time at Ferrari's Corse Clienti program, which features eight races around the world. According to an inside source, Ferrari doesn't want the LaFerrari XX falling into the hands of collectors, but rather wants to see them driven.