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Suzuki has moved up the Car Dealer Power rankings and has been named the 2024 Manufacturer of the Year.
The Japanese automaker moved up 3 positions from last year, pushing 2023 winner Toyota into the spot. BMW remained solid and third.
Suzuki dealers have given it top marks in terms of financing offers, warranty, aftermarket, future plans, and manufacturer requirements.
The Chinese-British MG logo finished in the lowest place – 25th out of 25 logos ranked in the survey.
Car Dealer Power asks UK dealers to classify their partner brands into thirteen categories covering all franchise spaces. The scores from the other categories are then taken into account to create the overall score.
The full results, logo after logo, are found later in this story.
Suzuki is understandably extremely happy with the outcome, with CEO Dale Wyatt attributing the win to the company’s close relationships with its partners and pragmatic technique in the way it operates.
“I’m grateful for this award, and it’s a prize for everyone here at Suzuki,” he told Car Dealer.
“I am proud of our dealerships and our employees. My task is to create an environment that allows the team to perform, and it’s the others who do it. I couldn’t be happier.
Wyatt said: “We try to keep it simple. We try not to ask distributors to do things that do not raise any price to the customer. We try to put our ego in our pockets and work on what matters. “
“Our distributors are very pleased with our communication, the new Swift and the consistency of our approach. They are also pleased with the fact that we have followed the company’s model. From the beginning we said we were connected to the network and I think that contributed to this result.
“My opinion is that the dealership is the physical embodiment of the logo and it is the dealership that delivers on our promise. As a manufacturer, you need the first contact between the salesperson or service advisor to be positive, and the most productive way to do this is through the classic dealership model.
Despite an era of expansion in recent years and an ever-improving range of styles, MG has lost ground this year.
He finished with 25 marks, a drop of 12 options from last year.
Their distributors told us they were inspired by the company’s aftermarket program and accessibility to senior management.
In this story you can see all those who got the minimum number of responses (10) to be included in the survey.
Manufacturers that did get the minimum number of responses are included.
Category scores are taken into account to give brands their overall score to a decimal. The rise or fall of the manufacturer’s position is indicated in parentheses.
By moving up 3 positions from its final position for 2023, Suzuki has shown that it cares about its dealers and that they love what the company does. The effects were very good, especially in terms of after-sales, logo awareness and accessibility. it earned top marks for its standards, while dealers felt that Suzuki presented a remarkable return on investment: the company scored highest in this category.
Toyota may have lost its crown this year, but it is still very proud of this result. Aftersales, accessibility, new car sourcing, and forward-thinking planning are all spaces where Toyota does a wonderful job, as does its warranty business. , scored the highest. Interestingly, in the case of the warranty, the most productive score was similarly shared by Hyundai. Toyota dealers seem pleased with the company’s recent rebranding for showrooms and the brand’s multi-fuel product strategy: gasoline, hybrid and electric.
BMW held its own this year and remained in third place, the same position as in 2023. This will be good news for the Munich-based automaker, as in 2022 it left the three most sensible; Finishing third for two years in a row shows that the company is doing a great job in the eyes of its distributors, and the 2024 percentage score is also better than 2023. It achieved the effects in marketing and achieved the same score in finance as Suzuki. A constantly intelligent feature for BMW.
Kia continues its slow performance in the Car Dealer Power rankings. Last year, it fell to second position after 3 years at most; now it falls back to fourth position. It still performed well in the 90s in terms of warranty and after-sales. , which is a smart thing to do, but it turns out that its dealers are cooling towards the logo judging by their lower scores than in recent years.
Hyundai wins the unofficial award for the biggest advance of 2024, after climbing 12 places in the standings. In recent years, dealers have criticized the company in several areas, adding accessibility to senior management, but it turns out that Hyundai is listening. Their warranty worked well, and surprisingly, their logo recognition was the highest in the entire survey. This is a very impressive feature from Hyundai and you can be proud of it.
Mini was a newcomer last year, and its rise from five spots to sixth will no doubt be welcomed by senior management. It scored highest on logo and website, and dealers appreciated those focus spaces for the company, and very well on marketing and bonuses. structure. Overall, Mini dealerships seem very satisfied.
Renault recorded the biggest drop last year in the 2023 Car Dealer Power rankings, but, along with Land Rover, it’s the second-biggest rise this year, certainly a welcome relief for the French company. It scored highest in used cars and timing in finance. Dealers were a little dissatisfied with the return on investment, but overall it’s a very clever feature for Renault.
There’s no repositioning for Mazda this year, and with a top-10 position it’s a smart result. Mazda could have hoped for a better outcome, especially with the arrival of new models, which come with a new rotary engine diversity extender. In addition to return on investment, dealers scored between 80 and 80 across all categories, which seems to be a satisfied group. Its highest score was recorded in the website/Internet category.
Audi is the first company in the top 10 to exceed 70 and loses two places in last year’s ranking. Their dealers are usually satisfied, a score of 60 on necessities will likely set off the panic alarm at Audi headquarters: this is the kind of score obtained through the worst-performing logos. The German logo may be a bit quiet in the logo category, as it ranks third in this area.
Nissan will most likely be disappointed with this result, as last year it ranked fifth with a fixed score of 79. 8%; This would likely represent only a 1. 6% drop from last year, but it equates to a drop of five places, which shows how competitive this result is. The survey of the year was. Its highest score is for investment and support, followed largely by all other categories.
A very clever feature here from Mercedes-Benz, and one that almost earned it a top 10 position. The German logo is up 8 positions impressively from last year, and it seems that dealers are feeling much happier 12 months later. In 2023, the company Se began to promote new cars exclusively through firm contracts, and it seems that in terms of operations dealers are not worried. The origin of new cars also came to the 80s.
Along with Renault, Land Rover wins the unofficial award for being the second-biggest winner in this year’s survey. In 2023, the logo scored mediocre in all categories, but things took a step forward 12 months later. happy, and only aftermarket cars and used cars seem to be spaces in which Land Rover has dropped the ball. Sister company Jaguar, after two years at the back of the scale, failed to pass the minimum response threshold and did not hold the position in 2024. which provides a combined image for JLR.
The Blue Oval will probably be a little disappointed with this result. One might expect one of the world’s biggest car brands to have a happier network, but it seems that its dealerships are only satisfied. Ford was down 3 places from last year’s functionality – which in itself was a smart feature, representing an 8-place increase in the top 10. It was smart functionality in finance, warranty, aftermarket, branding, and online, but less so in accessibility and requirements.
A disappointing result for Honda, which has implemented very smart functionality in 2023. Last year, the Japanese manufacturer finished in sixth place, but lost 8 places 12 months later. The warranty and after-sales service were very strong, but the predictive elaboration plans were criticized through its network of intermediaries; the return on investment was higher than many brands that finished above Honda.
It is only a matter of time before BYD participates in the investigation of Car Dealer Power. The Chinese automaker has burst onto the scene in the past 12 months and is working to expand a network of loyal, high-quality dealerships. Dealers tell us that they are satisfied with the franchise, so the 15th position can be considered a bit low. Either way, for a new entrant, average scores across the board have nothing to spend – it’s a wonderful platform for long-term growth.
Citroën slipped into the bottom 3 last year (it was actually a moment from the rear), but the Stellantis-owned French logo replaced the set in 2024. A remarkable score was given to its website, with Citroën scoring more problems than most. the previous marks in the table. These were average scores in all other categories, but it was a huge improvement over last year’s dismal 22nd place.
Skoda continues to get worse in the Car Dealer Power sector, and the alarms deserve to start ringing at its British headquarters founded in Milton Keynes. After losing 3 spots last year, it has lost two more in 2024. It earned an average score in the top categories. , something that should not be overlooked, but it was in the bonus design where Skoda diverted attention, according to its dealers. Not even a top score of 93% saved the day.
For a small car manufacturer (in the UK) like Subaru, the accumulation of two places in the car dealership force is something worth celebrating. Last year, the logo disappeared from the last 3 ratings of 2022, and this year’s functionality shows that Subaru is consistently things. It scored an impressive 91% on requirements, but failed when it came to marketing, a challenge that any small automotive company suffers from. Despite this positive attitude, Subaru is still the lowest-ranked Japanese automaker.
Seat’s Spanish-language logo is welcoming its return to Car Dealer Power, but bosses will probably feel a little deflated after its 18th place. Dealers have gained a lot of feedback and have shown that they are not very inspired with the knowledge of the logo. Which is not unexpected considering that the VW Group has favoured Seat’s Cupra functionality sister logo in recent years. In other areas, functionality was average, but impressively, Seat finished better overall than its parent Volkswagen logo.
In fact, there will be long grimaces at Peugeot’s headquarters with this result. Not only is the 19th position not fair, but the charismatic French logo was the biggest drop, losing 11 places in last year’s rankings. Overall, it’s a pretty mediocre performance. There’s a small pinch of comfort: the return on investment is a little higher than many superior Peugeot logos.
A rather depressing functionality for a major automaker like Volkswagen. Because Dealer Power 2024 showed that brokers are feeling pretty lukewarm in almost every area of Volkswagen’s broker business, especially when it comes to bonus design and return on investment. Volkswagen, with a score of 90%, awareness of its logo is among the highest in the entire survey. VW expects to have this functionality in 2025.
Fiat is back in Car Dealer Power, but with a 22nd position, it’s not something executives have to shout about. Interestingly, given its overall ranking, Fiat scored highest in finance at an impressive 95%, but it fell. the ball when it comes to ROI, marketing, and advance planning. But it wasn’t the worst-ranked Stellantis brand. . .
The first of the last 3 is a marvel, as Volvo historically occupies a pretty good position among the racers, but not this year. It fell nine positions from last year and scored very average in terms of accessibility, broker requirements and bonus structure, while return investment was rather mediocre, at 48%. There is a lot to do for next year.
Unfortunately, Vauxhall is the worst-performing Stellantis logo in the Car Dealer Power rankings this year. The British logo is doing pretty well in terms of financing, warranty, and sourcing new and used cars (the latter two are difficult to balance), yet dealers have given it a boost in terms of planning, needs, and return on investment. Vauxhall is doing a lot to help new car buyers make the transition to electric vehicles in an affordable way, and hopefully with the company’s recent revitalized image. , will include that functionality next year. “
An incredibly unexpected functionality from MG. The logo seemed almost untouchable in recent years with a long-standing organization of classic distributors, products at high prices and a clear sense of strategy on the part of the management. This dismal result will likely be hard for bosses to swallow, as it shows that dealers are seriously dissatisfied: the logo has lost 12 spots from last year’s final position, a functionality that means MG is the biggest loser in 2024. They score less than 60% overall, while the average financial, marketing, and logo recognition scores can do nothing to negate the terrible accessibility and after-sales scores. The only small advantage is that the return on investment is higher than Volvo’s.
The manufacturers indexed here met the minimum threshold of responses to our survey to be included. In 2023, 23 brands were included in the Car Dealer Power survey.
James, or Batch as he’s known, started at Car Dealer in 2010, first as a professionally experienced guy and eventually became editor-in-chief in 2013. He worked for Auto Express as an editor and the face of Carbuyer’s reviews on YouTube. In 2020, he became a freelancer and now writes for several national titles and is a regular contributor to Car Dealer. In October 2021, he became Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Car Dealer.
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