Mercedes-Benz takes top place amongst luxury brands in customer satisfaction in dealer services in India

Mercedes-Benz India has achieved the top position in achieving highest customer satisfaction in J.D. power 2015 India customer service index (CSI). The survey is mainly focused on the authorised dealerships of the brand. The three point star brand has achieved an overall score of 842 amongst its peers in the Indian market. The survey which is in the third year, constitutes the satisfaction of 265 luxury car owners who had visited the authorised dealership to carry out maintenance or repair work between first and second year of ownership. The survey is split of the basis of overall satisfaction on five factors- service quality, vehicle pick-up, service advisor, service facility and service initiation, listed in order of importance.

Luxury car owners look forward to a direct interaction with the service adviser handling their vehicle. This section of the survey includes the satisfaction received by the owners on the basis of the timely updates of their cars and reviewing the work done.  Such interaction have been observed to be less frequent in 2015, with 56 per cent of the owners mentioned their service advisors to be interactive as compared to 74 per cent in 2014.

In terms of dealership service towards customer loyalty, 24 per cent of customers were very much satisfied with the dealer faculty, out of which 79 per cent said that they ‘definitely would ‘ return to their dealers for services after warranty period and 85 per cent said that they will recommend their dealer to friends and family. In comparison to the owners who were less satisfied, only 46 per cent agreed on returning to the dealer after warranty period to carry out service and repair work followed by 66 per cent of owner would recommend the respective dealer to others. Same day delivery of vehicle was also observed to be 64 per cent for 2015 as compared to 56 per cent achieved in 2014.

“Luxury vehicle owners around the world normally expect a high level of personalized service, and that holds true for their service experience,” said Mohit Arora, executive director at J.D. Power, Singapore.

 “Customers expect their service advisor to have an ongoing dialogue with them so they can know the status of the work being done throughout the process. Luxury car manufacturers and their dealerships need to develop appropriate communication protocols in order to fulfil this expectation and drive greater customer engagement.” he further added.

Customer service is a crucial factor when it comes to top luxurious brands. Mercedes-Benz on the basis of survey finding will be expected to focus on improving the reviewing of the work carried out on the vehicle, performing proper inspection prior to work completion followed by cleaning of the car exterior as well as interiors. Statically, 21 per cent of owners indicated their vehicle were not cleaned properly when returned back to then after servicing which was 7 per cent in 2014.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The updated A-Class will be available as a A180 Sport and A200 CDI Sport; both engines mated to a 7-speed DCT gearbox.

Mercedes-Benz launched the facelifted A-Class today at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the A 180 Sport petrol version. The diesel-powered A 200 CDI Sport costs Rs 25.95 lakh.  The updates on the facelifted model are purely cosmetic. On the exterior, the new A-class gets a redesigned front bumper with new air intakes and the option of LED headlights. The rear too gets a restyled bumper with a new, integrated dual-exhaust system and tweaked tail-lamps and LED lights.

The interior of the A-class is more in line with the new CLA, and features an all-new three spoke steering wheel. The infotainment system also has been updated with an optional 8.0-inch COMAND infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink software for smartphone integration. Other changes in the cabin include galvanised buttons and switches, a refreshed instrument cluster, and the use of new colours and materials on the dashboard.

The new car will get the same engine line-up as the previous model, with a choice of a petrol and a diesel engine. The power will be transferred via Merc's seven-speed dual clutch transmission.  It will be equipped with Mercedes' Dynamic Select system that offers three driving modes – Comfort, Sport and Eco.

The facelifted A-class is the last launch for 2015, as per Mercedes-Benz's '15 in 15' strategy that was planned for the year. The car will rival the likes of the BMW 1-series and the Volvo V40.

Courtesy : Autocar

After recently opening its first Express Service Facility in Coimbatore, Volkswagen India has formally launched a similar service in Gurgaon as well. The Volkswagen Gurgaon dealership is equipped with 29 bays for servicing mechanical parts and conducting body repairs, and the facility can service approximately 1,600 cars a month.

Chennai is next in line to get this facility, though it remains to be seen if the plans have been affected by the recent floods. VW will launch the service in more cities over the next 12 months. The express service program is specific to the periodic / routine maintenance of the cars and is aimed at reducing downtime and increasing the efficiency of the technicians. The express service can be availed of with no additional cost to customers.

Toyota has been offering a similar service, wherein cars are serviced within 1 hour through the express maintenance (EM60) service.

Courtesy : Team BHP

The carmaker is considering altering the XC90's suspension set-up based on feedback from China and US markets.

Swedish-Chinese luxury carmaker Volvo is literally on a roll. Sales are up at around the 440,000 mark, there's a steady stream of all-new models on the way, and the new XC90 is doing so well; orders for the new SUV just keep coming and coming.

What Volvo is also recording, however, is a steady stream of complaints about the ride of the XC90. Customers are very satisfied with the big Volvo SUV, and it scores high marks in almost all areas, but they still want to know why their big SUV doesn't ride in a more luxurious manner. This is understandable. To begin with, Volvos have always been famous for their comfortable ride. And then there's the fact that the XC90 has all the right ingredients. It has plenty of wheel travel, the air suspension and dampers are adjustable and the cushioning provided by the tall tyres should be good too. But the ride on the XC90 at best, can be described as average. It's quite brittle, is often revealing and even crashes over sharp bumps at times. 

However, Volvo seems keen to provide a solution. Vice President, Dr Thomas Muller, is pretty clear. "We are looking to retune the XC90 suspension to make it more comfortable as we are getting feedback from markets like China and the US".

Volvo engineers say they are likely work on an altered set-up for the SUV in 'Comfort' mode, as this is the mode most people use over bad roads. There are a few ways this can be achieved. The rate at which the air springs compress could be altered to help absorb large loads in a more supple manner, it could change the rate of flow inside the dampers to help cushion the shock better and, if needed, the company could also look at 'retuning' the rubber and metal bushes that help locate the suspension. 

If implemented, the retuning is likely to bring the ride of the XC90 in line with other Volvos, many of which historically have been famous for their comfortable ride.

Courtesy : Autocar

Mercedes-Benz will bring the face lifted version of it’s A-Class to India with both petrol and diesel engines and will feature minor updates to the interior and exterior.

Mercedes-Benz India will launch the new facelifted A-Class in India tomorrow. The new car will be the 15th car that the German luxury car manufacturer will launch in India in 2015 in accordance to its ‘15 in 15’ strategy. The A-Class features updates on both the exterior and interior front. Engines though are expected to remain the same.

The new A-Class features the updated diamond grille festooned with a black background with chromed out dots to accentuate the 3D look of the grille. The front bumper also gets a new accent strip that is finished in chrome on the standard package and in black as an optional extra along with a new air intake. The new A-Class also gets an upgraded rear bumper with new tail pipe openings and an upgraded diffuser. The A-Class will also get optional LED headlamps and an upgraded tail lamp cluster.

On the interior front, the A-Class gets a new steering wheel and new trim levels on the dashboard. The new car will also get an upgraded 8-inch central screen and ambient lighting in upto 12 different colors. The updated Mercedes-Benz A-Class will also get a chrome bezel on the central console and added leather interior options. The dials too have been updated with a new bezel and a slightly upgraded design with the higher versions getting a chequered flag pattern.

Expect the engine options on both the A-class petrol and diesel to stay the same. The diesel is a 2.1-litre engine that makes 135PS of peak power and 300Nm of peak torque while the petrol is a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with 122PS of peak power and 200Nm of peak torque. Both engines are mated to a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and a front wheel drive drivetrain.

Courtesy : Zigwheels