Toyota Ranks Highest in Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Study for a Second Consecutive Year

J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports: Satisfaction with New-Vehicle Sales and Delivery Process Reaches Record High

SINGAPORE: 29 October 2007 — Toyota ranks highest in satisfying buyers with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process for a second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index StudySM released today.

The study, now in its fifth year, examines satisfaction of new-vehicle buyers with the sales and delivery experience. Overall sales satisfaction is measured based on six factors: delivery process, delivery timing, salesperson, dealer facility, paperwork and deal.

Toyota leads the rankings and sets benchmarks in four of the six factors that determine satisfaction: salesperson, dealer facility, paperwork and deal. Nissan and Inokom follow Toyota in the rankings, respectively. Nissan performs particularly well in delivery process.

Sales satisfaction has reached a record level in 2007 since the study’s inception in 2003 to 772 index points on a 1,000-point scale. This represents an increase of 20 points since 2006. While all nameplates ranked in the study record improvements over the previous year, the increase in overall satisfaction in the national segment—which includes Inokom, Naza, Perodua and Proton—is greater than in the non-national segment.

The study finds that delivering vehicles when promised and at a convenient time is critical to customer satisfaction. When customers do not receive their vehicles at the promised and convenient delivery time, satisfaction in the delivery timing measure plummets by 267 points, compared to the industry average.

“Keeping promises to customers regarding vehicle delivery is vitally important,” said Endina Widartama, country manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “In addition, scheduling vehicle delivery for times that are convenient for customers can go a long way in improving customer satisfaction.”

Additionally, the study finds that approximately nine in 10 Malaysian new-vehicle buyers secure loans to finance their new vehicles, and that customer satisfaction declines notably when the salesperson offers a loan only after the customer asks for it. Satisfaction declines even further if the salesperson fails to offer a loan at all.

“Despite the stringent requirements that customers must satisfy in order to be approved for a vehicle purchase loan, the percentage of new-vehicle buyers in Malaysia who take out loans is considerably higher than in other countries in the region,” said Widartama. “Therefore, the salesperson may be able to enhance both sales levels and customer satisfaction by proactively offering loans to customers before they ask.”

The study also finds that satisfying customers by exceeding their expectations with the sales process remains vital in raising customer loyalty and advocacy.

“Considering the fact that Malaysian customers still use friends or relatives as their number-one source of information, satisfying customers during their sales experience is the first step in building customer loyalty for both the brand and dealership,” said Widartama. “For example, Toyota, which ranks highest in SSI, also has a particularly high percentage of customers who say they definitely would recommend their new-vehicle make and dealer.”

The 2007 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses from more than 3,000 owners of 60 different vehicle models at two to six months of ownership. The study was fielded from April to July 2007.

The SSI Study is one of three consumer-based studies that J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts in Malaysia. The 2007 Malaysia Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study, which measures customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service, was released in July 2007. The 2007 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures problems experienced by new-vehicle owners, is scheduled to be released in November 2007.

About J.D. Power Asia Pacific
J.D. Power in the Asia Pacific region has offices in Tokyo, Singapore and China conducting customer satisfaction research and providing consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries. Together, the three offices bring the language of customer satisfaction to consumers and businesses in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internet at http://www.jdpower.com/.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

Source: J.D. Power and Associates

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