J.D. Power Ranks Manufacturer Websites

Automakers vary in their abilities to cater to the needs of consumers.

According to the J.D. Power 2020 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study—Winter, Land Rover and Mitsubishi rank highest in consumer satisfaction with manufacturer websites.

The study measures how useful automotive manufacturer websites are when consumers shop for new vehicle, with a focus on four key attributes: information/content; appearance; navigation; and speed.

The study finds that this year overall satisfaction averages 834 (on a 1,000-point scale) for the luxury segment, while the mass market segment averages 826. Land Rover (864) ranked highest in the luxury manufacturer brand segment and Mitsubishi (848) is the highest-ranked mass market brand.

“This year’s study was redesigned to underscore several recent trends seen in automotive vehicle manufacturer websites,” said Jon Sundberg, Senior Manager of Digital Solutions at J.D. Power. “We’ve taken note of the digital advancements OEM websites are implementing to evolve the automotive shopping experience.

“Items like personalization, customization and digital retailing are being implemented or are on the digital road map for many OEM sites, and we wanted to ensure the customer has a voice in these areas. We’ve even added self-guided videos and transcripts of shoppers using OEM websites to give further context to the shopping experience.”