S&P Global Mobility has announced the winners of its 27th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards, recognizing General Motors as the winner of its ‘Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer’ award and Tesla for ‘Overall Loyalty to Make.’ Tracking buying activity from January – December 2022, the industry faced many obstacles as fewer customers returned to market and loyalty fell for the third year in a row.
“The past three years have been a challenge for the automotive industry,” said Joe LaFeir, president, automotive insights, S&P Global Mobility. “As customers are returning back to market post pandemic and inventory levels have slowly improved from last year’s lows, retaining loyal customers has been more challenging than ever before.”
Industry-wide inventory shortages prompted many consumers to shop other brands if their previously chosen brand did not have sufficient stock. From pre-pandemic 2019, overall industry average loyalty has decreased from 54.6% to 50.2% in 2022.
Calendar year 2022 marks the eighth consecutive win for GM in the ‘overall loyalty to manufacturer’ category, and 19th win in the last 27 years. Consistent demand for GM’s sport-utility and pickup offerings, in addition to rising inventory levels, led to strong loyalty gains for the manufacturer throughout 2022.
On top of its ‘Overall Loyalty to Make’ recognition, Tesla scored repeat wins for ‘Highest Conquest Percentage’ and “Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make.’ The combination of an active return-to-market consumer base and majority share of BEV sales were contributors to Tesla’s loyalty performance this year. However, the brand’s resonance with ethnic consumers was a key driver in its recognition for loyalty improvement and diversity retention.
Ethnic consumers represented 40% of all personal vehicle registrations for 2022, an increase of two percentage points from the previous year. For more than 15 years, Ethnic customer retention has been part of the loyalty awards program in various forms. For 2022, S&P Global Mobility has combined the diverse consumer base under one category, ‘Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make,’ to reflect the combined growth in the ethnic market over the last several years. Tesla was the winner of this year’s award as 52% of its loyal volume came from ethnic consumers.
“Ethnic buyers have increased their market share in the industry every year for the last decade, making them an important audience in building loyalty success for the foreseeable future,” said Vince Palomarez, product manager, loyalty, at S&P Global Mobility.
Mercedes-Benz, with the successful launch of the EQS, was recognized this year as the winner for ‘Most Improved Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make’ award, recognizing a brand’s improvement in its ability to retain an owner to both the brand and either a BEV or hybrid powertrain.
Subaru scored its first win in the ‘Overall Loyalty to Dealer’ category as 38 percent of Subaru owners returning to market acquired their next vehicle from the same dealer.
A complete list of 2022 award winners follows:
| MANUFACTURER AND MAKE LOYALTY AWARDS | WINNER |
| Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer | General Motors* |
| Overall Loyalty to Make | Tesla |
| Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make | Tesla |
| Most Improved Make Loyalty | Tesla |
| Overall Loyalty to Dealer | Subaru |
| Highest Conquest Percentage | Tesla* |
| Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make | Tesla* |
| Most Improved Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make | Mercedes-Benz |
| SEGMENT MODEL LOYALTY AWARDS | WINNER |
| Small Utility | Chevrolet Equinox |
| Mid-Size Utility | Subaru Outback |
| Full-Size Utility | Chevrolet Tahoe |
| Mid-Size Pickup | Honda Ridgeline* |
| Light-Duty Pickup | Ford F-Series |
| Heavy-Duty Pickup | Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 |
| Van | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter |
| Sports Car | Dodge Challenger* |
| Small Car | Chevrolet Bolt* |
| Large Car | Nissan Altima |
| Luxury Small Utility | Tesla Model Y |
| Luxury Mid-Size Utility | Lincoln Nautilus |
| Luxury Full-Size Utility | Land Rover Range Rover |
| Luxury Sports Car | Chevrolet Corvette* |
| Luxury Small Car | Tesla Model 3 |
| Luxury Mid-Size Car | Lexus ES* |
| Luxury Full-Size Car | Mercedes-Benz S-Class* |
*repeat winner from the 2021 awards.
