Bangkok--29 Jan--Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Volvo came in fifth — ahead of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz — when the German motoring organization Adac asked 56,000 car owners how satisfied they were with their cars. “Which brand builds the best cars and has the most satisfied customers?” asked Adac in its German AdacMotorwelt magazine, describing competition in the industry as a race for customer approval. The survey included questions about aspects like electronics design, comfort and driving pleasure. Porsche came out on top for the third year running followed by Subaru, Jaguar, Honda and Volvo. Other German brands listed in the survey were BMW at seventh, Audi at tenth and Mercedes-Benz at 22nd. There were also questions to find out what owners of the various brands think of their workshop services. The top six were all Japanese brands — Subaru first and Toyota/Lexus second. And right after these came Volvo in seventh place. The Swedish brand’s key German rivals fared much less well. BMW came in 12th place while Audi and Mercedes-Benz came at 20th and 23rd respectively. Survey respondents were asked to rate the quality and cost of servicing work, customer care and so on. “A pleasing outcome, but not entirely unexpected. Volvo probably did better than the big German brands because of a combination of the fact that — just to compete with them — we have to have a dealership network which does its utmost to ensure customer satisfaction, plus the fact that the customers who choose Volvo have frequently sought out an alternative to the home brands. If Volvo succeeds in living up to expectation, there is a strong chance that customers will be very satisfied,”says Paul Welander, Head of Volvo’s Quality and Customer Satisfaction. Khun Waralee BunnagSenior Communications Manager Ogilvy Public Relations WorldwideTel: +66-2-205-6627Mobile: +66-81-643-1117Email: Khun Surasa Khlai-AksornCommunications Manager Ogilvy Public Relations WorldwideTel: +66-2-205-6626Mobile: +66-81-638-3862Fax: +66-2-205-6686Email: Khun Chantana VatanaromyaVice President, Marketing Volvo Car (Thailand) Ltd.Tel: +66-2-319-9820Fax: +66-2-719-9451Email: Khun Nuttha JittrakornMarketing Administrative Officer Volvo Car (Thailand) Ltd.Tel: +66-2-319-9820Fax: +66-2-719-9451Email: [email protected]