U.S. Owner Loyalty Climbs to 10-Year High

In the first quarter of 2015, about 53% of new-car buyers in the U.S. stayed with their previous brand the highest ratio of brand loyalty in a decade, according to IHS Automotive.

The market research firm attributes the increase to model proliferation, an uptick in leasing, quality improvements and greater effort by carmakers to retain their existing customers. Still, IHS says most brands in the U.S. lost more customers last year than they retained.

The firm estimates the number of models available to consumers in the U.S. rose 12% between 2005 and 2015. It points out that expanding a brand's lineup gives current customers more choice within the brand when they buy again.

The rebounding lease market, whose share of the new-car market grew from only 14% in 2005 to nearly 23% this year, also contributes to loyalty scores. IHS says leases are consistently more loyal to a brand than are retail buyers.

The firm says brands who posted 10-year loyalty highs in the first quarter this year include Chevrolet, GMC, Infiniti, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo.