Ford takes top spot in brand loyalty, with Ford Fusion and Ford Flex owners being the most brand-loyal

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian Automotive today announced that the Ford Fusion and the Ford Flex took the top two spots for brand loyalty at the model level during Q3 2012, surpassing the Q2 2012 model loyalty leader Chevrolet Sonic.

According to its Q3 2012 Loyalty and Market Trends report, Experian Automotive found that 56.4 percent of Ford Fusion owners returning to market purchased or leased another Ford vehicle. The Ford Flex and the Chevrolet Sonic finished with 55.3 percent and 54.3 percent brand loyalty, respectively.

"Ford continues to perform exceptionally well in brand loyalty, with a range of products that are getting customers back to the showroom again and again," said Jeffrey Anderson, director of consulting and analytics for Experian Automotive. "Loyal customers provide a ready-made source of sales and constitute an important element of maintaining or expanding market share and profitability."

Overall, Ford had seven models in the top 10 for brand loyalty. Other Ford models in the top 10 included the Ford Edge, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fiesta, Ford Escape and Ford Focus. Other top 10 finishers include the Chevrolet Sonic, Kia Forte and Cadillac DTS.

When looking at the overall brand level (or when the owner of a certain brand returned to market to buy the same brand of car regardless of the model), the analysis found that Ford and Toyota maintained the top two spots, and Kia and Hyundai moved into the third and fourth positions, surpassing Honda.

Brand loyalty:

Brand loyalty by model:

Complete findings from the Q3 2012 Experian Automotive industry Loyalty and Market Trend report will be presented in a Webinar on Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Eastern. If you would like to attend the event, please visit www.ExperianAutomotive.com to register. Experian Automotive also will be tweeting highlights from the report during the Webinar on Twitter @Experian_Auto using #EXPAuto.

About Experian Automotive
Experian Automotive provides information services and market intelligence that enables results-driven professionals to gain the fullest possible understanding of the market, the vehicles and the people who buy them. Its North American Vehicle Database^SM houses data on nearly 700 million vehicles and, when combined with Experian's credit, consumer and business information, provides an integrated perspective into the automotive marketplace. Experian Automotive's AutoCheck^® vehicle history reports provide dealers and consumers with in-depth information, allowing them to confidently understand, compare and select the right vehicles. For more information on Experian Automotive and its suite of services, visit our Website at www.ExperianAutomotive.com.

About Experian
Experian^® is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2012 was US $4.5 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 44 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit www.experianplc.com.

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Contact:
Roslyn Whitehurst
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 5578
[email protected]
Twitter: @RozWhitehurst

SOURCE Experian Automotive