SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -

Experian Automotive’s vehicle database showed General Motors’ incentive and sales strategy employed to close out 2010 worked quite nicely in terms of making significant strides in corporate loyalty.

According to Experian’s information, GM passed Ford for the first time in three quarters in connection with corporate loyalty as the firm placed the automaker’s level at 53.0 percent. Experian calculated Ford’s corporate loyalty at 47.4 percent with Toyota right behind at 46.7 percent at the end of last year.

Also noteworthy was how Hyundai (44.1 percent) surpassed Honda (43.5 percent) for the third quarter in a row.

To recap, Experian defines corporate loyalty as whether a new-vehicle purchase matches a prior unit owned at the corporate level. This measure includes all brands under the corporate umbrella so a Chevrolet owner could have bought a Buick and stayed loyal to GM.

During a Webinar this week sharing all of this data, Experian’s Jeffrey Anderson, who is director of consulting and analytics, recapped the industry scenario that played out so well in GM’s favor as 2010 finished.

“There was a lot going on at the end of the year if we think about it. GM had obviously success owner loyalty programs out in the market for current owners and probably owners of some of the orphan brands, including Pontiac and Saturn,” Anderson began.

“GM was also going through its IPO. GM was in the news a lot of with very positive stories. I think the combination of those had an obvious and strong impact in the fourth quarter,” he continued.

“It will be interesting to see how this translates into later quarters,” Anderson pondered.

Despite the strong corporate loyalty trend GM enjoyed to finish 2010, the automaker still lost some market share at year’s end. Experian determined GM still leads the industry with 19.2 percent of the market, but that was 0.3 percent lower that what the manufacturer held at the close of 2009.

Anderson explained how Toyota’s image troubles stemming from recalls allowed Ford to gain the most market share of any OEM in 2010. Ford finished last year in the No. 2 spot at 16.0 percent with Toyota coming next at 15.4 percent because of a 1.6-percent year-over-year decline.

Experian pointed out a gradual market share improvement for Chrysler (moving up from 8.9 percent to 9.3 percent) as well as the tight race between Hyundai and Nissan to stay with the top pack as each of those Asian OEMs settled at 7.9 percent market share at the end of 2010.

Analysis of Vehicle Registrations & Units in Operation

Experian determined new- and used-vehicle registrations each finished 2010 with year-over-year advances with new-unit registrations climbing by nearly 17 percent in the fourth quarter.

Looking quarter by quarter, Anderson mentioned that new-vehicle registrations actually climbed by double digits each time with the exception of the third quarter because the 2009 comparison included Cash for Clunkers. Pulling out the registration amount stemming from the federal incentive program, he determined the year-over-year gain still would have been more than 10 percent.

On the used-vehicle side, registrations jumped more in fourth quarter than the rest of the year combined. Experian’s data showed more than 8.3 million used-vehicle registrations occurring in the fourth quarter, a 7.4-percent jump above the same quarter in 2009.

All told, Experian computed nearly 240 million vehicles were in operation at the end of last year. While that figure was about 470,000 units fewer than the third quarter of 2010, the amount represented a jump of almost 750,000 vehicles from the close of 2009.

Anderson added the Ford F-150 is the largest volume model on the road today, followed by the Honda Accord. Trucks hold a slight advantage over cars in relation to units currently in use, holding a 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent edge.

Revisiting Economy & Hybrid Vehicle Market Share Gains

In 2010 as gas prices remained relatively steady, Experian charted that the market shares for economy vehicles and hybrid units stayed in traditional spots, about 11 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. In light of fuel costs swelling again, Anderson revisited the last two times these segments’ market share spiked.

Back in 2008, Experian recounted how economy vehicles began the year with a market share just above 10 percent before shooting up to above 16 percent by June and then settling back down to below 12 percent at year’s end. Meanwhile, Experian recalled how hybrids gained significant market share, approaching 3.5 percent in mid 2009 at the height of Cash for Clunkers.

Now with many areas of the nation paying $4 or more for a gallon of gas, Anderson tried to get a handle on what these segments might do this year.

“These are very volatile segments. It seems like switch being flipped on and off,” Anderson conceded.

“Now currently in the news, and I just paid it the other day, $4 a gallon. If history is any indication we’re going to see in this segment move higher in terms of share,” he continued.

Unlike 2008 and 2009, Anderson suspects it won’t be buyers scouring for only a Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Prius for better fuel economy.

“It’s not going to be the small import vehicles that are going to be able to take advantage. It will be interesting to see if the Chevy Cruze, Ford Fiesta can jump on that wave,” Anderson offered. “The domestic manufacturers are better positioned to take advantage.”