Despite Dieselgate: German car makers are viable – VW with reservations.
BrandTrust Resilience Index compares brand impact 2015 with 2017
Contrary to expectations, Germans stand behind the brand Audi. For VW, it’s a different story. The BrandTrust Brand Resilience Index shows how the diesel scandal changes the perception and impact of automotive brands in Germany. 14 selected automotive brands were examined regarding their resilience and sustainability – once in 2015 when the diesel issue began, and once again in the fall of 2017.
Audi No. 1 in the ranking: Impressive brand loyalty
Even suspicions that Audi could be the hotbed of the emissions scandal could not shatter the respondents' trust in the brand. The big surprise: Audi improved in nearly all of the ten examined resilience criteria, including customer relationship with the brand. Audi logged the biggest increases in the indicators price premium (willingness to pay more for this brand) and in significance to society.
Sustainability of the brand VW is seriously questioned
The almost expected total crash of VW was dampened by receding, yet still relatively high marks in customer loyalty. After reaching 5th place in 2015, VW ended up in 8th in 2017 when exactly the same criteria were queried. Criteria relevant to readiness for the future have suffered substantially: Clearly declining confidence of survey respondents that VW will be able to maintain its sales or continuously increase them, and to offer new, complementary products and services. Adaptability showed alarming scores: Only Ford and Dacia did worse than VW.
About BrandTrust
BrandTrust is the leading management consultancy for effective brands in the German-speaking Region. In 11 Industry Competence Centers, the teams of consultants advise market-leading clients on the development and implementation of regional and global brand strategies aimed to systematically and sustainably increase the profitability and growth of their brands. Many of our clients are Fortune 500, DAX 30, M-DAX, ATX und SMI companies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Northern Italy. BrandTrust is active across the globe and, in addition to its main locations in Nuremberg and Vienna, operates offices in Zurich and Ljubljana.
Press Contact:
PR-Büro Heinhöfer
Birgit Heinhöfer
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Mail: info@pr-heinhoefer.de
