Lexus was ranked No. 1 in a customer satisfaction survey of imported car drivers in South Korea, and while many people responded positively to purchasing a new car online, some were hesitant to switch to an electric car. I found that it is increasing.
In the second half of last year, Lexus received the highest score of 77.21 out of 100 out of 15 foreign brands in the comprehensive evaluation of the Korea Economic Newspaper Imported Car Service Index (KICSI). It has rebounded from second place in the first half of last year.
The Japanese brand was praised for its quality service, including accurate problem identification, prompt repair service, and machine durability.
Volvo took second place with 76.62 points. In quantitative service evaluations such as insurance premiums, claims payments, and repair times, the Swedish brand received the highest score, beating out Lexus.
Porsche rose from 5th to 3rd place, while Toyota fell from 3rd to 4th place.
KICSI was jointly developed in June 2015 by Korea Economic News, Kookmin University Automotive Service Research Institute, Korea Consumer Affairs Agency, Korea Insurance Development Research Institute, and research company Macromil Enbrain.
KICSI surveys 1,100 imported car drivers every six months on their satisfaction with automakers’ after-sales services. We also evaluate insurance premiums, repair duration, number of complaints reported, and level of service infrastructure.
“Lexus and Toyota Korea have steadily expanded their investments to improve after-sales service satisfaction. Both received overwhelming scores in the qualitative evaluation,” said Kookmin University professor and KISCI evaluation committee member. said Lee Hyun-jae, the head of the group.
In 2023, Toyota Korea sold 22,056 cars in South Korea. Lexus accounted for 13,561 units, about half of the total, an increase of 79% from the same month last year.
This is the first time that annual domestic sales have exceeded 20,000 units since 2019, when 22,852 units were sold.
A significant number of Lexus and Toyota drivers responded positively when asked if they intended to purchase a car from that brand in the future.
Poor performance of German brands
Volvo received high scores for mechanical durability and prompt service, while Porsche received high scores for maintenance worker expertise.
However, other German brands underperformed in the survey. Mercedes-Benz was fifth, followed by Audi in ninth and BMW in 10th.Volkswagen fell three places to 13th place.
High insurance premiums, repair costs, and parts prices were cited as reasons for dissatisfaction with Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW. The average repair time was about 10 days, three days longer than the Japanese manufacturer.
The average repair time for Lexus was 7.8 days, the shortest among Korean imported car brands.
Honda moved up two places to sixth place. Land Rover fell from 4th to 8th place compared to the first half of last year.
Jeep, Ford, Mini, and Peugeot were at the bottom of the list, ranking between 11th and 15th.
Hybrid cars that surpass electric cars
Four out of 10 domestic imported car owners (40.4% of those surveyed) said they would most prefer a hybrid powertrain when purchasing a new car in the future.
This was followed by EVs (31.7%) and internal combustion engine vehicles (27.9%). Approximately 92% of respondents said they intended to purchase an EV or hybrid vehicle in the future. However, one-third of them were not clear about when to buy an environmentally friendly car.
In contrast, the percentage of people who say they have no plans to buy an EV has doubled from 3.9% to 8% in the first half of last year.
Concerns about breakdowns and safety while driving EVs topped the list at 30.7%, followed by lack of charging infrastructure at 25%.
Approximately 26% of imported car owners named Tesla as their first choice of EV brand. This was followed by Mercedes-Benz (12.9%), Hyundai Motors (9.4%), and BMW (8.3%).
When it comes to after-sales service, Tesla ranked near the bottom. The average repair time is 10 days, the third longest after Porsche’s 15 days and Chrysler’s 11.3 days.
Buy online, used cars
When asked if they would buy a new car online rather than a used one, 35.3% of respondents said yes. Additionally, she said 32.3% answered “no.”
Of the respondents, 24.8% chose Hyundai as their preferred certified used car brand. Hyundai received the highest score among used car brands.
In a poll for the first half of 2023, Hyundai came in second with 18.5%, below Mercedes-Benz’s 24.5%.
Hyundai entered the used car market last year after the South Korean government allowed major companies to enter the market.
Write destination Kim Kin-won, Kim Jae-fu, Nan Se-bin, Jin1@hankyung.com
hu@hankyung.com
Kim Yeon-hee edited this article