McLEAN, Va. -

Coinciding with vehicle quality scores reaching an all-time high, the National Automobile Dealers Association discovered through its latest Dealer Attitude Survey that franchise stores’ satisfaction with their respective automakers increased this year.

Furthermore, the latest survey results that included input from more than 15,360 franchise stores showed Hyundai finished in the top overall spot for the second consecutive survey period, with sister brand, Kia, finishing fourth.

Those performances came out of NADA’s 2011 winter survey, which measured dealer sentiment this past January and February.

The association noted Toyota’s Lexus division dropped to the second spot, which ended 26 consecutive survey periods in the top slot. Subaru finished third for the fourth consecutive time, and Mercedes-Benz ranked fifth.

The remainder of the Top 10 included Audi, Ford, Infiniti, Cadillac and Toyota.

NADA reiterated the survey focuses on three major areas — value, policy and people.

An overall score is calculated based on 12 “core” questions that fall into the three key areas.

Overall, the association determined the industry saw a rise in dealer sentiment toward the value of their franchise. Officials mentioned several of the franchises that are currently outperforming the industry in sales and market share saw the greatest gains, and the average score on the product quality question hit an all-time high.

Value Index

NADA discovered Hyundai was the top finisher in the Value Index for the second consecutive survey period  while sister division, Kia, finished a strong fourth.

“Both brands have been energized by several recent well-received new product offerings and marketing efforts,” association officials pointed out.

The results showed Subaru also retained its place near the top, finishing in a tie for second with Audi, which moved up several slots this time.

Several luxury brands finished strong, with Lexus and Mercedes-Benz tied for fifth, and Cadillac and Infiniti trailing behind. Rounding out the Top 10 were Ford and Honda in seventh and ninth places, respectively.

Policy Index

NADA stressed the scores in the policy section of the survey also showed significant recovery from historical lows of recent survey periods, reflecting a general uptick in dealers’ attitude toward their manufacturers on policy decisions that impact their business.

Survey results determined Lexus continued to be the clear leader in this critical metric, continuing a years-long trend.

For the first time, NADA noted Hyundai jumped to the No. 2 slot, replacing Toyota, which moved to third place, with Subaru and Kia following closely.

“This rise in sentiment, however, was not shared by all dealers, many of whom continued to score some of their franchises toward the bottom of the industry ranking,” NADA officials shared.

“One key question from the survey that generally offers a perspective into a manufacturers’ policy performance is how well they consider dealer input before making decisions that impact dealerships,” they continued.

“Several OEMs saw dealers register continued dissatisfaction with this important metric, while others still struggling in the bottom third of the industry ranking began to make positive moves forward,” NADA went on to say

People Index

In the third survey segment, NADA recounted that the People Index scores dealer sentiment toward the OEM’s field staff who call on their stores.

As in previous survey periods, the association reported that the industry’s top slots went to several Japanese nameplates, including Lexus, Acura, Toyota and Subaru with a Korean nameplate (Hyundai) and German brands (Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen) rounding out the remainder of the Top 10.

“Historically, dealers have scored their manufacturers’ field staff higher than in other areas of the survey,” NADA acknowledged.

Survey Methodology & Future Participation

NADA highlighted a record 56 percent of franchises nationwide responded to NADA’s 2011 winter survey. A total of 15,369 out of 27,514 participated.

Officials explained the Dealer Attitude Survey conducted by NADA’s Industry Relations group measures dealers’ sentiment on the value of their franchise, automaker policy decisions that affect the dealership and the automakers’ field staff who visit dealerships.

“We appreciate the time dealers take to answer the survey. They should feel reassured that NADA — as the voice of the dealer — makes sure their opinions are presented twice a year to senior executives at all of the auto manufacturers,” stated Carroll Smith, chairman of NADA’s Industry Relations committee.

“The high level of attention and importance the manufacturers place on the dealer responses is impressive,” Smith continued.

The association mentioned NADA’s 2011 summer survey is available to complete online now through Aug. 4. NADA will present the survey results to automaker executives this fall.

Dealers can go to this website to complete the ongoing survey. They also can go to this site for the full summary of the 2011 winter survey.