Isuzu Ute Australia has edged out Toyota and Lexus at the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards, winning not only best car manufacturer but best brand overall for 2020.
Isuzu Ute Australia had an overall score of 94.9 per cent, putting it above the likes of First Choice Liquors (94.88 per cent), Toyota (94.0 per cent), Bunnings (91.1 per cent) and Aldi (91.0 per cent).
It also bested Lexus for the car manufacturer of the year title, with seven monthly wins for 2020 against five for the Japanese luxury brand clinching the win for Isuzu.
Lexus won best car manufacturer in 2019.
“This not only speaks volumes about the reliability and durability of Isuzu vehicles but also about the support team that works day in and day out to ensure their drivers are satisfied with their owner experience,” said Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine.
The market research firm’s ‘Best of the Best’ award goes to the company that achieved the highest customer satisfaction of all 40 winners in its annual awards, with the data based on interviews with consumers across Australia.
“Having just celebrated 200,000 unit sales since our arrival in Australia in 2008, Isuzu UTE Australia is honoured to have received another milestone complementing our continual drive for excellence within the Australian market,” said IUA managing director Hiroyasu Sato.
The D-Max was Australia’s fourth best-selling ute in Australia last year, behind only the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton.
And despite its advanced age, the MU-X was Australia’s third best-selling large SUV behind only the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and Kluger.
A redesigned MU-X is expected to arrive around September 2021, based on the new generation of D-Max launched last year and boasting a comprehensive suite of active safety technology for the first time.
The Isuzu brand has been on a steep upwards trajectory in Australia, expanding to 160 dealers nationwide despite offering only two models.
In its first two full years on the Australian market, 2009 and 2010, IUA sold 3566 and 5114 vehicles.
Sales steadily grew, though the introduction of the MU-X in 2013 was a huge shot in the arm. In the MU-X’s first full year of sales, IUA sales had leapt to 16,674.
By 2019, sales had increased to 25,311 though Isuzu, like most brands, took a hit in lockdown-affected 2020 with 22,111 sales overall.
