Prestige brands Lexus and Mercedes have dropped down the rankings in the latest Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) National Franchised Dealer Association’s Dealer Attitude Survey .
Once the undisputed market leader with six consecutive top position rankings, Lexus plunged down to 12th position - a drop of 8 places from last winter.
Meanwhile Mercedes also suffered a dip, slipping from second to tenth, while German rival Audi topped the survey finishing first for the second time, followed by Alfa Romeo and Mini .
NFDA director Sue Robinson commented: "Lexus and Mercedes Benz have been marked down by their dealers due to current marketing stance, product positioning, and advertising . In fact, Mercedes dealers have given the marque its lowest rating on product advertising for 15 years. "
"Mercedes dealers are also unhappy due to falling sales and market share . Retained margins took a big hit. The emergence of credible product challengers has not helped."
"Lexus dealers are dissatisfied with pricing and the effectiveness of incentive programmes. However, the brand's market share and volumes remain favourable," she added.
Lexus dealers stated their concern over current profit potential, giving a score rating (out of five) of 3.2 – down 0.5 from last time, while Mercedes dealers posted a score of 2.7 (a drop of 0.8).
Other car networks concerned about a slide in future profit potential included Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Proton and Chrysler-DodgeJeep, while Alfa Romeo (a rise of 0.9 to 3.8), Suzuki and Peugeot each posted improvements.
