As entertainment consumers we’ve grown accustomed to the hype that comes with award season, when actors and musicians gather to collect their Grammys, their Junos, their Golden Globes, and their Oscars. When it comes to automotive consumers, however, few of us know the results of equally important awards given out to recognize exceptional achievement in the production of vehicles.
For example, each year Consumer Reports (CR) magazine ranks the best new car brands of the year. And this year, the brand that brought home the most hardware was Subaru. In fact, for the first time in the history of the report, Subaru was named the Best Car Brand of the Year, beating out Top 5 finalists BMW, Lexus, Porsche and Honda in terms of reliability and customer satisfaction. Researchers at CR tested over 250 models in every category including road performance, comfort, reliability, safety, and owner satisfaction. In the end, it was Subaru that took top spot, relegating perennial favourite Toyota to ninth position on the list.
While that’s not only good new for Subaru, it’s also great news for Chris Restagno and his sales team at Gemini Motors, the area’s premier Subaru dealership.
“Having earned that badge of reliability is just another justification of why you should buy a Subaru,” said Restagno, New Vehicle Manager with the independently owned Gemini Motors dealership. “Brand loyalty with Subaru is strong to begin with. Now having that kind of accolade lends favour to the sales process.”
Consumer Reports Magazine isn’t the only organization dishing out accolades to Subaru for its brand and models. Recently dealer partners across the country awarded Subaru Canada Inc. with the Highest Overall Satisfaction Award for the 12th consecutive year. Additionally, the company also secured the Most Effective Dealer Communications Award, that recognized the quality being built into every Subaru model. Additionally, the Japanese auto maker was acknowledged at the Auto Trader Awards and received the J.D. Power ALG Residual Value Award for 2024.
For discriminating car buyers, that information is critical to helping them make the best decision when looking to purchase a new vehicle.
“Consumers come it well-armed with that information,” said Restagno. “Consumers are doing their research, and they should be. A lot of buyers do a lot of research before making a purchase. It doesn’t change the sales process so much. Knowing the quality of the vehicles we’re selling doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned salesmanship. It just means we put focus on customer experience to ensure customers get exceptional service from start to finish.”
Right now Gemini Motors has a large inventory of over 70 vehicles in stock at the dealership, providing car buyers with a good variety of makes and models. Restagno says that unlike some of their competition who are still struggling with supply chain issues, his dealership has the vehicles in stock so consumers aren’t left waiting for as long as a year to get the model they want to buy.
“We’re pretty fortunate as a Japanese automaker to have such inventory available,” he said. “It’s shaping up to be a good year. Everything’s pointing in the right direction!”
When you’re in the market for a new vehicle, do your research. Then drop in for a visit to Gemini Motors at 26 Manitou Drive, Kitchener.
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