Chevy Volt leads the most popular car survey.

Reuters
General Motors Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car owner satisfaction annual survey, consumer reports for the second consecutive year crowned.

Ninety-two percent of the Volt owner in the influential magazine surveyed consumers, said that they earn in any case the Volt would buy back the electric car top ranking. Last year, 93 percent said the respondents that she would buy the car back.

"The Volt of two-year reign at the top of our satisfaction survey points to the trend part owner's enthusiasm for cars that are fuel-efficient, especially as we see more and more hybrid and electric models on the market," said Rik Paul, consumer reports auto editor in a statement.

The Volt, has introduced to the end of 2010 to fight with early soft sales, criticism by opponents of federal tax credits by green car and a probe Government 2011 volt battery fires, no major problems to find.

Yet following the Volt, what sales for nearly $40,000 before $7,500 federal tax credit, one has devoted among those, avoiding gas stations bragging rights. The car can be about 40 miles on an electric charge travel, before he uses a gasoline-powered engine for additional driving range.

Other fuel-efficient models contain in addition to the Volt, Toyota Camry achieved also in the investigation of consumer reports hybrid Prius and Prius C and the Nissan leaf, all-electric car.

At the other end of the spectrum, the revised small car had Nissan Versa the lowest score, with less than half of its owners say she would buy it again in any case. Other low scorers also V6-engine versions of the GM Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks and the Nissan Armada, Suzuki SX4 and Mitsubishi Outlander SUV.

Consumer reports that their responses to the questionnaire received by the owner almost 350,000 vehicles from the model years 2010-2013.

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Mississippi leads way in drivers ' misery index'

By Paul A. Eisenstein, the Detroit Bureau
It is to feel just miserable, if it wide the tank with fuel prices again on a fast rise over time to fill parts of the country. And car insurance costs have become fast, also will.

But vary how much you can pay heavily depending on where you live. A gallon of regular unleaded, that cost is $3.16 in South Carolina this week more in Illinois goes for a dollar, according to the latest tracking information.

Combining gas and insurance and drivers in some States can costs index as much as $2,000 more than their cohorts driving in other parts of the country, according to the new automotive misery.

Measured another way, these personal transport costs alone ranging from less than 5 percent of the income of the average motorist after more than 11 percent, according to research by CarInsurance.com.

Gas and insurance damage in New Hampshire, according to the index, on average $2.932, at least a year, or 4.4 percent of the typical household income. Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, and Washington rounded the top five, with their misery index at or below 5 percent.

At the other end of the scale, with misery is index of 11.6 percent. Drivers in that State not only are some of the highest insurance and gas costs-at $4.277 every - but have lower income to cover the costs.

The insurance costs alone a year ranging from Maine in an average $889 $2.589 in Louisiana. $1.479 Was found, the national average, CarInsurance.com.

The site even more looked at insurance and found that they vary down to postcode level. In a part of the Bayou State, drivers are only $1.874 have to shell out. Elsewhere however that almost to $3.530 doubled.

A variety of factors influence the gas and insurance costs. States rather closer to ports and refineries and usually cheaper fuel benefit Gulf and East Coast. Generally higher costs in the Midwest have spiked in recent months due to the pipeline and refinery problems.

As for insurance, prices can be affected, whether a State is more urban or rural and as many miles drivers tend to drive. Drivers tend to be in Wyoming, 44th on the misery index, more than 20,000 miles per year, compared to the national average of 14.133 pm.

Missippi, that the misery index exceeded, is a rural state, but "People drive many,", said CarInsurance editor of Toups. "It has also the highest percentage of uninsured motorists, car insurance so much power more expensive."

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Hyundai leads in corporate loyalty — study

DETROIT — Long ignored by most American auto buyers, and slighted by others due to quality problems, Hyundai is now tops when it comes to corporate loyalty, according to a new study.

But Ford Motor Co. is also making gains in the marketplace, according to the report by Experian Automotive, a data service that tracks vehicle registration data as well as consumer attitudes. The Detroit maker captured the lead in six of the spots in the top 10 product segments.

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Hyundai had a loyalty rate of 49.6 percent, according to the Experian study, edging out General Motors and Ford – as well as major Japanese makers like Toyota. It was the first time the Korean carmaker led the list, marking a significant turnaround for a brand that was once the butt of jokes, not a marque that won repeat business.

Hyundai’s loyalty – translated as the repurchase rate of its owners – has also helped drive the brand’s market share to record levels, 9.2 percent during the second quarter of this year, up from 7.9 percent a year earlier. The maker’s performance in the study also reflected well on its sibling brand, Kia actually outscoring the Hyundai brand with a 47.9 percent loyalty rate.

General Motors, which came in second in the Experian study, had the second-highest loyalty rate, at 48.1 percent, and also saw its market share grow by 0.5 points – to 19.6 percent during the second quarter of this year.

Ford was third in the latest Experian loyalty study, at 47.6 percent. But it also took six of the Top 10 sports in terms of loyalty to specific products. That included the Ford Fiesta, third at 63 percent, and the Fusion, fourth at 61 percent.

The product with the highest individual loyalty was the Kia Forte, according to Experian, at 68 percent. The maker’s quirky crossover, the Soul, was fifth at 59 percent, with its Forte Koup ranking eighth at 57 percent.

Makers have become increasingly focused on brand loyalty in recent years. Repeat business not only helps prop up sales and market share but also helps hold down marketing costs. Experts say it can cost as much as 11 times more to “conquest” a buyer from a competing brand as opposed to winning back one of your loyal owners.

Copyright 2011 The Detroit Bureau. All rights reserved.

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