Customers are questioning the brand values and trustworthiness of the auto industry after the United Auto Workers (UAW) launched a strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, but it isn’t impacting their loyalty yet.  We believe it is most likely because the strikes are not materially impacting customer perception of vehicle availability, pricing and service levels yet. But as the strike continues into its second month, that could soon change. We’ll be monitoring for loyalty and market share shifts. 

The strikes started on September 15. As of October 15, more than 30,000 UAW members have walked out of assembly plants to demand better pay and benefits. Analyzing more than 85,000 pieces of customer feedback across 45 auto brands from September 2022 through mid-October 2023, we find:

• In general, customers feel worse about the brand value and trustworthiness of the big three U.S. automakers.¹,² Since August, sentiment toward brand values fell 2% for Ford and Stellantis brands, and 1% for General Motors brands³, while staying stable for the rest of the industry.
• That brand value dip hasn’t translated to dips in customer loyalty, however. Brand loyalty⁴ actually grew for the big three automakers over the past month.
• While some believed Tesla could be a beneficiary, its Loyalty Intent has actually dropped more than all other auto makers since August (down 7%), reversing all gains over the summer from its April price cuts. It announced another round of price cuts last week.