VW Looks to Improve Owner Loyalty

Volkswagen may be hip, but its owners don’t seem to stick around for a second purchase. The company is pushing to raise its owner retention, which is at a dismal 29.3%; the industry average is 49.6%. That means people that buy VWs aren’t coming back, for a variety of reasons. Some experts say it’s the company’s poor reliability combined with a lull in new products during the late 1990s and early 2000s that has led the current situation.

How will the company fight back? It seems a new website and more owner-oriented events like a recent enthusiast rally in New Jersey are the main weapons in VW’s marketing arsenal. We’d guess that improving reliability and offering more products that fit the VW image would work better, but that’s just us.

[Lusting for Loyalty, AutoWeek]