The auto industry in the United States is slowly returning to pre-pandemic inventory and sales levels, which is influencing consumer behavior when it comes to brand loyalty.

JD Power’s latest brand loyalty study shows that more car shoppers are now choosing variety over enduring brand loyalty.

The shift in loyalty has been fueled by the ongoing impact of supply chain disruptions, which have limited vehicle choice and forced owners to hold on to their vehicles for long periods of time. Some of these issues have now been resolved, opening up more options for customers. Despite the trend away from brand loyalty, the study also shows that some automakers have managed to maintain a strong customer base.

In the premium segment, Porsche ranks first among premium car owners for the second year in a row, with an impressive loyalty rate of 56.8%. Mercedes-Benz comes in second, not far behind, with a loyalty level of 50.5%. Meanwhile, Volvo tops the rankings in the premium SUV segment with the highest loyalty rate of 56.5%. BMW comes in second with 56.1%.

Just like last year, Toyota is becoming the leader among mass market car owners with a loyalty rate of 60.0%. In second position is Honda (55%). Subaru retains last year’s crown in the mass-market SUV segment with a 61.1% loyalty rate. On the other hand, Ford continues to dominate the pickup truck segment for the second year in a row with a 64.6% loyalty rate.

“As vehicle availability has increased and there is more choice in the market for consumers, loyalty among brands overall has declined this year. Additionally, owners were tied to their vehicles longer than usual due to ongoing supply chain disruptions and, as a result, were more likely to experience issues with their vehicles,” explains Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics. JD Power.

The JD Power Brand Loyalty Study uses data from the Power Information Network to assess whether vehicle owners stick with the same brand when trading in an existing vehicle for a new one.

Porsche has announced a new version of the iconic sports car – the Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport. It is already clear that it is based on the track Porsche 911 GT3 R, but the Rennsport version has been significantly improved. The large wing catches your eye: it’s not small even in the original, but in Rennsport a lower horizontal bar has appeared, and the vertical bars are no longer at all “thin legs”, like on a regular GT3 R.

Only the hood and roof remain of the GT3 R’s body panels; everything else is made of carbon fiber. The wheels are new – 18 inches in size from the BBS company.

The engine was also modified: the 4.2-liter boxer unit received new pistons and camshafts, as well as new firmware. As a result, the power is 620 hp. – 55 hp more than the GT3 R. The car can be filled with both regular gasoline and synthetic fuel. The engine is paired with a 6-speed sequential gearbox, and the drive is rear-wheel drive.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport cannot be driven on public roads (this is, in fact, indicated by the word rennsport – the version was created for the track and racing). There is only one sport bucket seat with 6-point safety belts. A roll cage provides additional protection in the event of a rollover. The main display received different graphics, and additional screens appeared at the pillars, which display images from the rear view cameras (they are installed instead of traditional mirrors).

A total of 77 examples of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Rennsport will be produced, the price of each just starting at $1.046 million.

The problems in the IT systems of the German automaker Volkswagen have been resolved, and production at the company’s factories in Germany is resuming. This was reported by the Bild newspaper with reference to a representative of the automaker.

“The IT infrastructure problems on the Volkswagen network were resolved overnight and the network is operating reliably again,” a Volkswagen spokesman said on Thursday, September 28.

The global production network is up and running, affected factories are back online and production should proceed as planned. Individual systems may still be unstable during the transition phase. Volkswagen found no indication that external influences caused the failure.

Earlier it became known that an IT failure affected most of the Volkswagen group. A significant part of IT systems and production was affected. In some cases, conveyors stopped and email did not work. The problem also affected other brands of the group, including Audi.