Alfa Romeo has come out tops in the J.D. Power 2022 US Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study, which measures the sales experience among new-vehicle buyers. By looking at a variety of factors - including the delivery process, dealership facility, and personnel - the study looks to see which brand has the most satisfying sales experience. This year, it was based on the responses of 36,879 buyers.
This year, Porsche and Lexus - both renowned for customer care - were relegated to second and third place, respectively, by Alfa Romeo. The Stellantis-owned brand scored 833 out of 1,000 possible points. Porsche just missed out with 831 points, while Lexus scored 819.
Alfa's vehicles, known for their fiery temperament and gorgeous styling, aren't historically associated with reliability or excellent customer care, but it seems that's slowly changing under the Stellantis umbrella. "Quality of our products and customer care are top priorities for Alfa Romeo, and we are genuinely proud to see our efforts have placed the premium brand at number one among luxury brands," said Alfa Romeo North America's Larry Dominique.
With the introduction of the new Tonale, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has introduced new quality standards for the brand. Imparato is pulling no punches and revised the entire production process to ensure the compact SUV is a solidly-built vehicle. Even the testing and inspection methods have changed.
It seems this top-down approach to customer satisfaction is working. While this study doesn't measure vehicle quality, this ranking is a step in the right direction for the brand; the brand gained 25 points and climbed nine places since 2021.
"We are focused on continually improving the overall customer experience of owning an Alfa Romeo, and this is a testament to our intense focus on enhancing the dealership component," added Dominique. If the brand can convince consumers that reliability and quality are getting better as well, buying something like the Giulia Quadrifoglio won't feel as audacious as some assume.
Alfa Romeo has also been criticized for its limited range and unwillingness to update its models. Both these issues have been somewhat remedied with the advent of the Tonale and, importantly, a much-needed facelift for the Giulia and Stelvio models.
The premium automaker isn't the only Stellantis marque to finish strongly. While Chrysler finished in a middling 11th place, the American brand climbed 28 points from last year, representing the biggest improvement in the mass-market category. However, with 783 points, it was only one above the segment average.
Stellantis missed out on top honors as Buick won this category with a score of 825, but Dodge finished second ahead of Subaru. Other Stellantis brands Jeep and Ram came in sixth and seventh place, respectively, ahead of Ford with 791 points.
