In early September the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA found that VW had been selling cars with software that concealed true emission rates when being tested. When tested emissions beat the lab limits, but when on the road with these emission controls switched off, cars would emit up to 40 times the legal levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx).
The emission scandal has since spread from the US to become a global issue and VW has admitted that up to 11m cars globally were fitted with this ‘defeat device’. Reports also show that the software has been fitted to Audi, Seat and Skoda vehicles.
Most recently issues have been raised about irregularities in carbon dioxide emission levels with VW’s in Europe this time potentially affecting petrol as well as diesel cars.
VW now face potential fines through the US Clean Air Act of up to $18bn in penalties (up to $37,500 per car).
Overview of results:
Results indicated of the 2735 people taking part in the online survey Ford was the most trusted brand (29%) closely followed by BMW (27%) and Audi (25%). (see table 1)
The five lowest ranked automotive brands were Skoda (5%), Seat 4%), Subaru (4%), Smart (3%) and Suzuki (3%). Volkswagen was trusted by just 10% alongside Porsche and Volvo.
There is however a generational split (see table 2). Whilst BMW , Audi and Mercedes-Benz are most trusted by under 18 year olds, for older generations and in particular over 35 year olds Ford becomes the most trusted brand.
What does this mean?
Lisa Bedwell, Senior Director at Future Thinking comments: “The best-selling car brands for the first quarter of 2015 according to SMMT data were Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen and the success of car sales for Ford is also reflected in it being the most trusted brand, especially for older generations. By comparison, despite strong sales, trust in Vauxhall is certainly a lot lower and it is an indication that there is work to be done in improving their brand’s image.
For Volkswagen where UK sales have dropped in the last month amid the emissions scandal, the level of trust is certainly now far lower than would have been expected. Consumers are clearly re-evaluating their perceptions of the brand and it faces a difficult time re-building trust and loyalty in the coming months. Interestingly trust in the Audi brand remains strong despite the wider group being implicated in the emissions scandal.”
Table 1: Overview of results
| Brand trust | % |
| Ford | 29 |
| BMW | 27 |
| Audi | 25 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 18 |
| Jaguar | 15 |
| Honda | 14 |
| Land Rover | 13 |
| Vauxhall | 13 |
| Toyota | 12 |
| None of these | 11 |
| Don’t know | 11 |
| Porsche | 10 |
| Volkswagen | 10 |
| Volvo | 10 |
| Citroen | 9 |
| Mini | 9 |
| Nissan | 9 |
| Peugeot | 9 |
| Fiat | 8 |
| Alfa Romeo | 7 |
| Hyundai | 7 |
| Jeep | 7 |
| Kia | 7 |
| Mazda | 6 |
| Renault | 6 |
| Mitsubishi | 5 |
| Skoda | 5 |
| Seat | 4 |
| Subaru | 4 |
| Smart | 3 |
| Suzuki | 3 |
Table 2: Split by age
Under 18 years:
· Top three: BMW (41%) Audi (36%) Mercedes-Benz (28%)
· Bottom three: Smart (2%) Seat (4%) Suzuki & Skoda (6%)
· VW: 18%
18 – 34 years:
· Top three: BMW (34%) Audi (31%) Ford (27%)
· Bottom three: Smart (2%) Subaru & Suzuki (3%), Mitsubishi, Seat, Skoda (4%)
· VW: 11%
35 – 54 years:
· Top three: Ford (29%) Audi (26%) BMW (24%)
· Bottom three: Suzuki (4%) Subaru & Seat (5%), Skoda (6%)
· VW: 8%
55+ years:
· Top three: Ford (30%) BMW (23%) Mercedes (19%)
· Bottom three: Smart, Seat, Suzuki (3%) Subaru (4%), Mitsubishi, Jeep, Fiat (5%)
· VW: 9%